


Moonlight

by clarizzle



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, An exploration of culture, Don't copy to another site, F/F, F/M, First Shinobi War, Gen, I've just thrown a little bit of everything, Is it Otsutski or Ootsutski frankly I don't know but I'm rolling with Otsutski, M/M, No Beta, Original Character(s), Philosophy, Politics, Realism, Tags Are Hard, Team as Family, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:00:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 25,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25855528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarizzle/pseuds/clarizzle
Summary: It’s only been a few years since Konoha has been founded and although the Warring States period of bloodshed has finally come to an end, true peace is still just a distant dream. With unknown political machinations in play, power struggles, and conflicting interests, there are many eyes observing closely on how the undeniable tension would pan out. Which leaves the important thought:How would you accomplish peace and how far would you go to attain it?
Relationships: Senju Tobirama/Original Female Character(s), Shimura Danzou/Uchiha Kagami/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologus

**Author's Note:**

> Why hello there fellow reader,
> 
> I'm delighted you took the time to take a peek at my little piece of work. This story is one of my first fan-fictions and I'm not even sure if I'm doing anything correctly(no beta so rip grammar and writing abilities). Therefore, please litter the comment section with any suggestions or advice, so that I can improve the overall experience of the story.
> 
> Don't feel like correcting me, well I'm always open to enjoying exuberant conversations ;)  
> Anyways, that's all folks, I hope you find this story intriguing and stick with me till I finish the last chapter.  
> I express my sincere gratitude for you taking the time to read this little piece of mine.
> 
> Yours truly,  
> Clarizzle

_It’s only been a few years since Konoha has been founded and although the Warring States period of bloodshed has finally come to an end, true peace is still just a distant dream. With unknown political machinations in play, power struggles, and conflicting interests, there are many eyes observing closely on how the undeniable tension would pan out. Which leaves the important thought:_

_How would you accomplish peace and how far would you go to attain it?_

_Would you attain peace by spilling blood? Or through making alliances?_

_Would you make choices for the good of many, or for a select few you care for?_

_Nothing in life is ever simple._

_The choices people make are never as clear as the sky being blue or the difference between black and white._

_Rather they are more complex than a game of shogi. And I don’t speak lightly over that statement._

_I will do nothing to influence your opinions. I am here simply to tell a story. A story that created and destroyed villages. A story that brought the most unlikely of cultures and people together. A story that spanned the galaxy and affected the course of the world._

_No, I am not exaggerating. What I will tell you are essential events that have shaped our society today._

_However, it is important to note that although these historical events have happened, we tend to forget the people and the choices made behind it._

_As we delve into these people’s lives, I ask of you to not admonish their actions and to remember that there is never truly a right or wrong answer in life._

_Rather, I ask of you to learn and understand why they committed them. What caused them to see the world as they see it? What happened that would shape their character? What led them to fight for what they believed in._

_From there, I want you to evaluate your own beliefs and values._

_What would you do in these given situations?_

_What defines your morals?_

_What is your Nindo?_

_…………………….._

_Good._

_I see that you're thinking seriously about what I said._

_Now………_

_Shall we begin?_

* * *

“The damn side branch traitors have stormed through!”

“We need a healer. Get me a healer. Now!”

“Cesar! Cesar! _Corculum(my little heart/sweetheart)!_ Where are you! Please have anyone seen my child!”

Loud bangs thunder clapped throughout the settlement. Animalistic screams painted the air with a glorious melody becoming of anguish. The sky reflected the image of an eye. It shined brightly like the sun, except it came alive with an electric blue rather than the regular orangish glow. Yet, what was most distinguishable was the deep pools of red quickly spreading through the land.

It was all too much for her as she tried to comprehend the scene in front of her. 

For what lay before her was nothing less than a chaotic tragedy.

And she was right in the center of it. 

“ _Luna_!”

Luna turned towards the familiar voice. 

“Papá!” 

Her father quickly snatched her up as she buried her face into the comfort of his shoulder.

“Where were you!” He bit out, frustration seeping into his voice.

“I- I was going to-“.

“No matter,” he hugged her tightly as he hastily sped off. “We have to hurry, we don’t have much time now”.

She felt something thick and warm squish under her palms as she clenched her father's robes. Alarm shot through her as she hastily looked over his figure.

“Papá! We need to get you help! You’re injured!”

“Don’t worry Luna. I am fine. It’s just a small scratch,” he reassured her as he tucked her back into his shoulder. “My healing can wait, there is something more important that must be taken care of”.

Luna was left perplexed. What could be more important than the safety and well-being of her father. However, she put that thought aside as a more pressing matter surfaced her mind. 

“Papá, why is-“ her voice wobbled as she tried to steady her breathing “-why is there so much chaos?” 

She couldn’t control her shaking. There was just so much grief and despair suffocating the air. And blood. There was so much blood that red was all she could see. _Red, red, red-_

“The branch family has declared war on us,” her father curtly responded, rubbing soothing circles along her back as he continued on his path. 

_But why_ , she thought, frowning at his response. What her father said didn’t make any sense. They all came from the same blood. They were all Ōtsutsuki. Why would family have to fight one another? Wouldn’t it be better to work together?

She couldn’t wrap her head around the bizarre thought

“They disagree with the main doctrine,” he cut in, noticing her confusion. “Sometimes-“ A profound expression - Luna knew her father was recalling something important - made its way to his face, “belief can be stronger than the bonds that tie us together”. 

They made their way through the village center, dodging falling flames that reminded her of comets burning through the galaxy. Except this time, she wasn’t making any wishes.

“ _Praeceptorem_ ( _Commander_ ) _Alessandro_!” A young man called out to them, avoiding a burning beam of wood tilting dangerously off a nearby building. 

_Fear. Distress. Worry._ His emotions ran thick and heavy enough that she can sense it all too clearly through the rapid fluctuations in his chakra signature. It seemed to her everyone was running wild with the same emotions. 

“ _Dic (report),_ ” Her father ordered, eyeing his disheveled figure. 

The man’s hands were shaking, white garments bleeding crimson as he tried to put on a brave face. 

He didn’t succeed in his efforts.

“The enemy is weaponizing the sacred Tenseigan!” Her father cursed, his skin going pale as he nodded for him to continue. “I don’t know how long we’ll be able to hold off, especially with the special ops struggling to hold the front”.

“et princeps _(and the prince)_?”

“Trying to hold off all the puppets under their control, it's helping keep pressure off the long-range jutsu users”.

“Good, keep holding the defense. The artillery squad should be releasing the Golems soon in order to help relieve the main platoon”.

“ _Eques (Sir),_ ” the man voiced out, glancing at Luna. “They are wondering when you will arrive at the battle-field”.

“ _Momento (In a moment)_. I have urgent matters that must be taken care of first”.

And with that, they were off once again. The chilly air buffeting her cheeks as the village - _home_ \- began to shrink out of sight. They approached a towering silhouette in the distance, its columns piercing upwards at the countless planets decorating the sky.

“Papá,” Her father hummed, signaling for her to continue,“-couldn’t we just talk with them and come to an agreement?” Luna inquiried. The solution to the problem seemed very straight forward to her. Why fight instead of hash out their disagreements? Didn’t father once tell her that communicating was essential to solving conflict. 

He snorted in response,“If only it were that simple”.

She glanced at her father, unsatisfied with his answer.

“There’s no point in talking if they won’t listen,” He added, silencing her questioning gaze. 

The silence stretched on as he entered the familiar stone arches of Baltasar’s castle, flames lighting up in his wake as he scurried down twisting corridors.

_Left. Right. Left. Down._

Shadows danced in their wake. The thick ancient walls of the keep muffled the harsh cries and clashes of metal on metal on the other side. It served as a shield, a barrier from the chaos, and she was thankful the agonizing sounds wouldn’t be plaguing her ears anymore. 

Time passed and Luna couldn’t keep track of where they were anymore. For all she knew, they were delving deeper and deeper. It seemed to be that there was no end in sight. Just like the black holes her father once told her stories about. 

She faced backwards, noticing the seals coming to life behind them. The arrays bursted into shimmering gold - similar to the constellations her father loved to point out to her whenever they went stargazing - forming complex shapes throughout the hall. 

Suddenly, her father slammed one hand to the floor. Intricate green lines thrummed and shined throughout the corridor. A clicking sound followed and soon the walls came alive. They shook, split, and shifted, revealing a passage hidden beneath it. She was left in awe at the sight.

She didn’t know the castle harbored such mechanisms. For all the time she spent there, there was nothing of this recorded in the main castle library.

They descended further down. Her father's footsteps and steady breathing accompanied the quietness that surrounded them. Writing she was unfamiliar with adorned the walls, most likely telling a history that has long since past.

The passageway opened up to a spacious rocky clearing. Stone columns decorated both sides, accompanied by gigantic detailed carvings of two famous figures she’s heard countless stories of. 

“ _Who goes there!_ ” A voice boomed from the darkness. The sound ricocheted against the walls to enhance the effect. She couldn’t help but jolt at the sudden pressure. The soothing, strong presence of her father’s chakra grounded her from panicking.

“Alessandro Otsutski, general commander of the royal family, I have brought my daughter with me”. Her father answered loud and clear as he took a bold step forward.

 _"Ahhhh Alessandro_ ,” A giant crab stepped out into the open. Its red eyes pierced in thought. Its shell was decorated with a cacophony of royal blue, portraying an air of elegance fitting for an ancient creature. 

However, Luna was quickly drawn to the crab’s abnormal claws - one marginally larger than the other - and how it swung lazily in front of it. Like a predator calmly watching its prey. 

How a crab can be built like that, she wasn’t sure. But she knew that this creature would cause nothing less than destruction if riled. 

“ _It has been some time since you’ve visited me_ ,” the crab eyed him. _“However-_ ” it casted its gaze around the room. “ _Why isn’t the king and prince with you_ ”

 _Papa has come here before?_ Tsukiko thought as she took in this new information by surprise. _With the king and prince no less. But, why?_ The question lingered in her mind as she continued observing the conversation. 

_“_ We don’t have much time. The enemy has weaponized the Tenseigan”.

The crab quirked up, intrigue glinted in his eyes. 

_“The reincarnation eye?”_

“Yes,” her father replied gravely, “They sealed their eyes to gain access to the sacred power. Now-” he bit out angrily, his calm facade breaking away,“-they abuse this power to achieve their false agenda”.

“ _By false agenda you mean destroying humanity?”_ A disgusted look flashed across the crabs face. 

He nodded at the question, his grim expression displaying the answer left unsaid. 

_“How insolent. It goes against our ancestors’ teachings.”_

“ _Exacte (exactly)_ , which is why I’m here. I want a safe passage to Earth”.

 _"I’m guessing you want to travel to Earth with your daughter?_ ”

“No-“ The crab tilted his head curiously at father’s answer, “-just my daughter”.

Luna snapped to her father voicing her abhorrence to the statement, “No! I won’t go without you!” Her hands turned white as her grip tightened. 

_Alone_. Without Papá. This was the urgent matter he kept on talking about?! The thought terrified her. He- he still has much to teach her, to show her. There’s so much she doesn’t know and now he wants her to go by herself?! To Earth! Where the humans live?!

“ _Hmmm is that so?_ ” The crab inquiried.

“Yes,” her father ignored her pleas, staring the crab down.

“ _Then I, the gatekeeper, shall permit it_ ,” The crab declared. It clicked its claws three times, stepped away, and revealed a swirling emerald vortex built into the wall behind him. “ _Ad astra per aspera_ ( _Through adversity to the stars)_ ”.

“Papá!” Luna cried, tears beginning to prickle her eyes. “Why can’t we both go! I don’t want to leave you!”

Her father was always there for her. Her shoulder to cry on. Her treasure trove of stories and knowledge. He made her feel safe, feel joy, _feel at home._

He sighed, picked her up, and placed her on the floor as he crouched down to look her in the eyes.

“Luna,” he began softly. “I have my duties as the royal commander. I can’t come with you, you know that”.

“That’s not fair! You already do so much already. Can’t they give you a break?!”

Her father chuckled, ruffling her hair as she let out a squeal of protest. “Luna, _meae deliciae (my delight)_ , life is never fair”.

“One day-“ he continued, hugging her close to his chest, “-you will understand what it means to fight for your precious people, just like how I fight for our clansman. But, right now your survival is my utmost priority”.

“Then I’ll stay here and help you fight! Then we can beat them together and go home!” She stubbornly replied as she clenched her fists.

“I’ve already lost your mother, I can’t bear to lose you too. Please understand Luna, the solace of knowing you won’t perish here is all I wish for”. He placed a light kiss on her forehead as he brushed away her tears. 

Luna grimaced at his statement, gripping her mother’s necklace that is clasped tightly around her neck. She knew he was doing whatever was within his power to help her and she will always be grateful for it. 

_But,_ she thought, turning her head away, _who will take care of you Papá, you fight for everyone, but who will fight for you._

“ _Human. I’m detecting other presences coming, are they with you?”_ The crab questioned. Her father snapped alert in response. “ _Judging by your reaction, I’m guessing they’re not_ ”. 

" _Vappa ac nebulos (scumbags)_!“ Luna flinched at her father’s special vocabulary. She knew he was truly pissed if those words ever were unleashed. 

“They must’ve noticed the portal being accessed through the Tenseigan. If they’re here it must mean the Golems didn’t succeed in stopping them from breaking through the front-lines,” her father frustratedly bit out as he snatched Luna and sprinted towards the portal. 

“ _I see. I must add that there seems to be a rather large group of them,”_ the crab paused, then added,“ _Thirty no less_ ”.

 _Thirty?!_ The statement terrified Luna. That’s the same amount of people needed in six battle squads to subdue a stray meteor. That many came after them?! 

“I will take care of them,” her father declared to the crab as they passed it. “My only request is that you close off the portal from the other side, so they have no way of accessing it”.

 _“Then I shall do so. However-”_ the crab added,” _-the sealing will take a lot of energy from me and a bit of time. You will have to hold them off for a bit”._

“Understood”. 

They were now at the foot of the portal. The chakra residing in it was so dense and rich that it was naturally pulling them into it. 

He turned Luna to face him, her back towards the portal. 

“When you first get there, there should be a cave nearby. Take refuge there for the night. From there, go to the nearest village orphanage and tell them you have no paren-“.

“But Papá, I do have parents. I can’t forget you!” Luna interrupted, her sadness morphing to anger.

“M _eae deliciae (my delight)_ , I will always be here-“ he pointed his hand to her heart,”-with you. Don’t you worry. Just, promise me you’ll tell them”.

Luna nodded in defeat.

“Now, you must never tell others your origin and real name. If the branch family hears of it, they will do everything in their power to hunt you down”. Her father told her, steel lacing his voice. “Alright?”

“Yes Papá”.

“Ok Luna, now all you have to do is fall back. I’ll be here, so don’t be afraid”.

“Papá, I- I don’t think I can do this. I’m not prepared enough”.

“No one is ever fully prepared to face what life throws at you. All we can do is take steps to better our chances and face it head on. Besides-“ he continued, combing his hands through her hair. “I’ve taught you enough to believe you’ll do just fine. Have more faith in yourself”. He gave her one of his rare smiles.

Luna burned the image to memory, cherishing this moment. Father always held his emotions close to his heart, never allowing others to look within. His default moods were either concern or seriousness, never in between. They used to say he always smiled like this for her mother, but sadly she never got the chance to see her.

Distant shouts carried through the corridor, becoming louder by the second. 

_“Alessandro, I recommend that you hurry it up”._

“Luna, I want you to live,” he told her, a sense of urgency carried through his tone. “But most of all, I want you to find something you value, for we become stronger once we find something to protect”. 

Luna suddenly found herself falling backwards, her father very slowly disappearing from view as an emerald glow began to obscure the scarlet splattered across the room.

“Papá?!”

_"Amor aeternus Luna"._

_(Love until the end Luna)_

“ _Ad astra per aspera"._

( _Through adversity to the stars)_

And that was the last she heard before she was engulfed by darkness. 

* * *

_Damn you Hashirama!_

Tobirama is a simple man. He knows life never goes exactly as planned. Instead, to him, life is just like the Naka river.

Calm in one moment, deadly the next. 

He’s seen it drenched in thick red, seen it twist, turn, and thrash against the rocky outcrops surrounding it, seen it devour its victims under the harsh pull of its currents. 

Yet, he’s seen it glimmer under the afternoon sun, seen it dance with lighthearted vigor, seen it give life to all beings that need it.

Unpredictable. That’s what it is. And he has come to terms with that the moment he lost his dear younger brothers to war. 

He should be used to it by now. Countless years of staining his hands with the blood of his enemies, watching pillars of fire burn the corpses of his clansmen, wearing loss at the end of his sleeves; he should be used to the randomness that life loves to throw his way

Well sadly, while he is a simple man, life itself is a complex beast and thinking more about how to tame it is a whole ‘nother list of things-he-don’t-want-to-deal-with-at-the-moment and pushes the thought back to the recesses of his mind. 

And right now he has to wonder how such a straightforward B-rank mission reared its ugly head, beat its own ranking to oblivion, and became a ranking that is nothing short of a clusterfuck. And that’s just summing it up in simple terms.

Who knew that being requested to help a young lady with sealing away a rumored demon would lead to a sudden ambush from a crazed shinobi clan. In which, said crazed shinobi clan believed it was their duty to capture and sacrifice them in order to appease the demon.

After dealing with _that_ disaster and setting up the trapping seals, it turned out that the rumored demon was actually a silver frog the size of a dog and a well-known worshipped deity - now that was news to him - throughout the land of Hi-no-kuni. 

Then, the damn woman had the audacity to trap him in his own sealing array - he was shocked to the sheer stupidity that entailed - and declared that she will take the blessed frog, use it to brainwash the village under her command, and take over the capital city Hinofuku. 

If that wasn’t enough, an infamous terrorist organization caught wind of the incident, killed the woman and ran off with the frog in order to complete their supposed agenda. 

Now, here he was, in pursuit of said criminals battling a katana wielding rooster summons

Really, he wasn’t surprised at this point. 

_‘And isn’t that just a delight,’_ he thought as he flipped over the slash aimed for his head and landed a well placed stab on the rooster. A burst of smoke followed him as he continued to chase.

As the familiar trees blurred by and became sparser, he noted a dim-lit entrance entrenched into the side of a mountain. He placed his finger on the ground and dipped his senses into the chakra surrounding him. 

Thirty-two signatures in total: five are genin, seven are chunin and three are jonin level at best. The rest are nothing more than normal bandits. Shouldn’t be too difficult.

Deciding that it was best to not be caught unaware - again, since his pride as a Senju won’t allow it - he summoned two shadow clones to scout the area for hidden traps and dropped down to a crouch.

The eerie glow of the moon dappled the nearby undergrowth with shadows. Tobirama trudged through the crowded shrubbery- and he just recently washed his white fur coat anew too - with utmost disdain. Irritation couldn’t even fathom what he felt at the moment and he’s sure he’ll make it painfully aware to his aggressors about his feelings over the situation. 

And this all happened because his dear brother decided that he was the right man for the job.

 _‘It was going to be some simple sealing,’_ he said. 

_‘It won’t take too much effort,’_ he said.

 _‘You’ll be back in no time,’_ he said.

Once he gets back, he will surely make Hashirama know of his displeasure and how _smoothly_ this mission went. And no amount of teary-eyed puppy dog pleas will make him concede. 

Images suddenly ran through his head. After a quick sort, clone one made quick work of the trip-wire traps surrounding the entrance and clone two learned that the idiots actually led him to their base. 

Now he just feels as if his skills are being insulted.

Retracing his past clone’s steps, he stopped near the entrance of the cavern and marked his signature Flying Thunder God seal - Hirashin for short - along the wall. One can never be too careful since underestimating your opponents was a one-way path to a swift death - no matter how moronic they appear to be - and having an accessible escape route was a must have for increased survival rates

It’s what kept him alive for most of his life and he wasn’t planning on abandoning it anytime soon. 

He entered the opening and cast a light genjutsu over himself. Now, his movements would only be seen as a shadow reflection of the flickering torches scattered throughout the walls to his enemies. Simple yet effective, for it tricks the receiver that their worries are due to just being anxious rather than the presence of an actual shinobi.

Running chakra through his ears, he made his way further into the hideout as he silenced the few bandits that were stationed along the halls. That makes twenty in total left to deal with. 

“Ha! I’m sure Yakitori made mincemeat of the old man!” Shinobi A - Tobirama found it unnecessary to note them of any importance since they’ll be meeting their maker shortly - exclaimed, boisterously puffing his chest in pride. 

A flash of annoyance swept through Tobirama’s face as the words “old man” echoed inside his mind. Surely, he wasn’t that old, he was in his _twenties_ for Kami’s sake. 

“Now that we have the frog, we can finally achieve our dreams of world domination!” Shinobi B bellowed as he swung his arm around Shinobi A. 

Ignoring their over-enthusiastic cheering, Tobirama scanned the entirety of the floor. 

There was a good chunk of them situated around a table stuffed in the corner playing what seems to be a round of poker. While a handful of them were lounging around the back having a couple of drinks. 

His eyes landed on the caged frog, its silver sheen glowed brightly under the nearby torch. No guards, no security around it, and no traps set. How foolish. 

He slid his away around the room, placing barely concealed explosive seals along the way and taking careful note to adjust his own chakra levels to that of the chakra around him. Once at the cage, he slipped a seal onto one of the bars. 

Their carelessness would be their downfall. How was it even possible for them in the first place to achieve such notoriety with so little skills? Was it possibly the work of a third party? 

He filed those inquiries away for later. He sighed. It seems filing things away has started to become a natural occurrence. 

If only reading theoretical texts with nothing but the gentle rustle of trees as his audience could also be a daily fixture in his life. 

A poof resounded in the closure, a chicken appeared in a flash of smoke as all eyes trained on the newcomer. 

“Sir!” The chicken clucked in a panic - Tobirama cursed since the arrival of the chicken meant his variable of surprise would be ruined - and hastily flapped its wings up-and-down. “Yakitori has been defeated! I believe the man is making his way here at this very moment!”

“What! Impossible! The old man defeated Yakitori?!” Everyone in the room became increasingly alert at Shinobi A’s claims. 

_Well,_ Tobirama thought as he summoned a shadow clone, _there goes Plan A._

With a surge of chakra, he made his presence known, reveling at their slacked jaws and wide-eyed stares. Usually, he doesn’t make reckless moves that have no purpose or benefit behind it. 

This time however, he can make an exception. 

“You _fool_ ! That’s no old man! That’s the _White Demon!_ ” One of the men previously drinking pointed out as a good number of them paled in response.

Taking advantage of their momentary shock, he casted a genjutsu over the entirety of the room that should've locked them in perpetual darkness. This should be able to buy him some time. 

At the corner of his eye, his shadow clone took the cage and hirashinned to the cave entrance. No doubt the clone will find a suitable place to take cover as he deals with the problem. 

He set off the explosives around the room as he pulled on the familiar seal placed at the entrance. The deafening booms ringing behind him as he found himself once again under the glowing moonlight. 

He hid himself in the foliage of the nearby trees. The blast should’ve collapsed the cave and hopefully buried all of them under the falling rocks. He wasn’t stupid enough to face all of them head on. That would be moronic and a complete waste of chakra and energy.

And dealing with all of them at once would surely take a lot longer than a hit-and-run. The mission was already complicated as it is, no need to make it more difficult than it should be.

Plus, time is a valuable commodity, there’s only so much time a person is limited to in this dangerous world.

Besides, if any of them did make it out, he’ll use one of his suiton jutsus to take them out. That should be enough to suffice.

A calm silence enveloped the area, only the chirping cicadas made itself known amongst the noises of the night. Tobirama leaned against the tree trunk as he patiently waited. His sensing detected no signs of movement, but the enemy could have luckily escaped and hid their chakra signature for all he knew. 

He can play the waiting game, for being hasty will always lead to unnecessary consequences. 

Soon, the moon positioned itself higher up in the sky. A blanket of stars twinkled softly and wrapped up the night in an ephemeral glow. 

After a solid two hours, Tobirama relaxed from his alert stance, his shoulders finally sagging as the enormity of the day finally caught up to him. A memory popped into his mind, showcasing the location of the frog which was securely tucked into the undergrowth a good distance from where he was. 

_Finally_ , he thought as he sighed in relief. He can finally wrap up the cursed mission and begin his journey homeward. 

Although his original client died - he didn’t feel bad in the slightest - he’s sure the Fire Daimyo would be interested at the recent turn of events. 

Most likely he would be pleased by the results of the mission once he hears of it and be the one to provide a good sum of money for the return of a well-regarded deity throughout Hi-no-kuni. 

Reaching the place his clone hid the frog, he released a pulse once more to detect if anyone was in the vicinity. So far, nothing except the signature of a small rabbit. 

_Good. No threats or enemies present._

“Kai,” Tobirama whispered, the clustered bushes in front of him dissolved into the familiar cage holding the frog. He glared in contempt at the root of his problems. 

All this needless suffering for a damn frog that can supposedly sing in a way that can control individuals.

_Fantastic_

His brother better reward him with an extended break after this catastrophe of a mission. If he so much as sees one more stack of papers inconspicuously piled on his work desk, well, let's just say he won’t be the one responsible if it suddenly begins to rain… in the Hokage's office.

“ _Verendus(Awesome)!_ ”.

Tobirama whipped around, one hand gripping his sword while the other formed in a half seal ready to inflict his new opponent with a nasty suiton bullet. He cautiously peered at his surroundings, searching for the origin of the voice.

How could he miss one of them. He was sure that all of them perished back in the cave. The only thing that was present in the area was a -

“ _Hic (here)_ ”. The voice said once more. 

He snapped his gaze downwards, scrutinizing the figure in front of him. 

In front of him stood a little girl, almost as tall as his waist, with hair as pure as snow and eyes that shined a pale violet underneath the luminescence of the full moon. The little girl could almost pass for a Hyuga - albeit a strange one since most Hyuga’s all had the dominant dark hair trait - if one were to not look so closely at her eyes. 

Still it was jarring to him. The rabbit he deemed in his peripheries was actually a child. A literal child. 

He’s definitely calling it now. In some other life, he must’ve upset some Kami above to be struck with another of life’s curveballs. Oh, and there’s definitely a Kami laughing at his circumstances. 

“ _E_ _sne bene (are you ok)_?” she implored as she took a step towards him.

_What did she say. I've never heard that language before?_

“Who are you and what do you want?” He answered reflexively, subtly relaxing his arms to his sides as he eyed her footsteps. 

“ _Ah,"_ The girl’s cheeks flushed red as she scrambled for words. “For-forgive me. My Hitonese. Hard speak... no good”.

That was the most chopped up Hitonese he’s ever heard. Understandable, he’ll commend her for her efforts.

“It’s fine...,” He answered. “And why exactly are you here?” 

The girl blinked, opened her mouth, paused, and closed it again. After a short pause, she responded,“Bad men… take me. Said good price for my eg-“ the girl made a weird face at the word, “egg-zotic looks”.

Tobirama understood the gist of what she was saying and felt a seething fury pool at the pits of his stomach. 

How _dare_ they try to take advantage of children. Calling them disgusting would be doing them a disservice. To him, they could very well be the scum that were nothing more than dirt beneath his feet. 

The girl continued, shaking off the unsettling memory, “More run with _that-”_ she pointed at the frog, “-and stop bad man. I run and hide there-“ she pointed at the nearby shrubbery,“-and man think I go _poof_ ”. She exaggerated her story by complimenting her words with her actions. 

Tobirama found the gestures quite amusing.

She twiddled her thumbs under his expectant gaze as he nodded for her to continue. 

“You come. Go there-“ she pointed in the direction of the cave, “then _kaboom_!” She threw her arms out to emphasize it. “You beat bad, must be good. Feel safe,”she seemed content with her attempted retelling of events and looked up at him expectantly as she finished that sentence. 

Now that he took a closer look, there were bags of exhaustion decorating her under eyes accompanied with a tired solemn gaze - _why why why is there a child with such grief evident in their eyes_ \- and a small frown etched on her face. The most noticeable however, were the apparent tracks of dirt stained tears that were once streaming down her face. 

She reminded him of himself when he was younger. Where there was constant fighting with no end in sight. Where he was always at the mercy of the hands of death that discriminated against no one. Where he accepted that there was no hope in saving what was lost and that he had no choice but to honor their memory and to keep on moving. To keep on living. 

He catalogued her ragged robes, the white silk it was made out of was dirtied beyond recognition. There was a tear in her shoulder sleeve and a rip along the hem of her left arm. The bottom right-half was completely torn off showcasing the endless amount of scratches, bruises, and caked blood that seemed to be scattered all over her battered figure. 

The little girl was a survivor. He could see that already. There was a sheer desperation to keep on living hiding behind her evident fatigue. And with such a nightmarish appearance, he could only imagine the hell she went through to get to where she is now. 

“ _Sir_ , no bad,” she scooted away, snapping him out of his thoughts as she searched him with wary eyes. “Right?”

“No,” Tobirama wearily answered as he slowly walked towards the girl and crouched in front of her. “I won’t hurt you”. 

The girl’s eyes lit up at his words - and wow she looks like one of those adorably fluffy ninken the Inuzuka tend to harbor. _Notthathewascallinghercuteoranything_ \- and she hurriedly latched on to both of his arms. He tried not to flinch from the sudden contact. “ _Vere (really)_!” she couldn’t contain her relief as a smile replaced her once previous frown.

Were smiles supposed to be that bright at night, he wasn’t entirely sure. 

“Really,” Tobirama affirmed, assuming she meant it in surprise. However, there was still one thing that plagued his mind. “But I'm curious, little one-“ her eyes snapped to attention, a sudden alertness coloring her gaze, “-why me? I-“ he pointed to himself,”-can be bad man”.

He made sure to butcher his Hitonese so she can have a better time understanding it.

 _Interesting,_ he thought, taking note of the slight surge of chakra - _impressive she knows about chakra usage_ \- ready to bolt if things went awry. And he’s just realizing it now, but the girl positioned herself upwind from him, and conveniently placed herself near a thicket bush. _Was it a coincidence?_

“Enemy, Enemy, is friend,” she slowly voiced, looking him dead in the eyes.

He assumed she meant the enemy of my enemy is my friend. A wise saying indeed.

Abruptly, her solemness vanished as if it was never there in the first place and replaced with the familiar childish grin from before. She cheered, “You beat bad men!” She threw a punch out. “And I’m no hurt. You good!”

“I see,” Tobirama said, at a loss for what to do. “What is your name little one?” 

“Lu-Tsukiko,” she voiced out hesitantly. Then after a brief moment, nodded in assurance. “Tsukiko.”

No last name. Was she too young to remember her family? Has she been on her own ever since she was born? The thought was worrying and his protective instincts acted up a little.

“Alright Tsukiko-chan. Can you tell me where you live? I’m sure your parents must be worried over your disappearance?” He asked her, noticing the slight jerk she gave at the mention of the word “parents”.

That question seemed to dampen her mood quite a lot. Tsukiko turned her head to the ground, her grip tightening against his own solid arms. Though, it felt more like a tickle than an actual squeeze.

He had an inkling to what her answer would be to his question, for he could tell they were cut from the same cloth: children who were far too young and had seen the worst the world could offer. 

“ _Sir_ ,” she slowly started out. He could tell she was trying to assemble her conflicted mind. It was never easy to think clearly right after a tragedy- _which may or may not have happened, but the signs were all there_ \- one that struck close to home no less. 

“What happen. No home. No par-” she choked on the word, her eyes starting to swim with tears once again, “ _-ents_ ” He pieced together what she meant and made sure to rub his thumbs in soothing arcs against Tsukiko’s arms to comfort her. She melted slightly in response. Mito’s lectures and hands-on teaching about dealing with children really does work wonders. He’ll make sure to thank her later for it.

“Well. There’s nothing much you can do-” Tsukiko flinched,“-except honor their memory and move on,” he voiced a bit gruffly, inwardly wincing at his rough answer - he was never good at expressing his thoughts when it came to someone else’s feelings - and tried to craft another response that would at least appease the girl. This is, afterall, one of his rare attempts at trying to console another person, albeit one that is a child - _that doesn’t even speak his own language_ \- and it’s a miracle Tobirama hasn’t made her cry. Yet.

“I understand,” Tsukiko was trembling now and Tobirama was scrambling to find a sufficient response that would fix his previous mistake. 

There was a reason he doesn’t deal with emotions. Compartmentalize, logically reason the situation or problem, store it away, and repeat. A simple but efficient process. Not Talk-no-jutsu, never Talk-no-jutsu, that was Hashirama’s expertise. 

“You can come with me,” he all, but blurted out. 

“I can?” 

_Oh no,_ he thought to himself, _what have I gotten myself into this time._

“Yes, yes you can,” he reassured her. “I come from a village called Konoha which was created through my brother’s efforts to provide a place where children can be safe and live happily”. He made sure to say the words slowly, watching her to see any signs of confusion. 

“Konoha village,” she repeated his words, clearly thinking about his statement. “Brother cool… and strong”.

“He is indeed,” Tobirama nodded. He could sense the awe seeping from her voice and although he didn't agree at the thought that his brother was cool, he didn’t doubt that his brother was one of the strongest shinobi alive. “He would be happy that kids like you would have the opportunity to have a better life”.

Tsukiko was silent, mulling over his words. 

“Make safe place. Hard”.

He blinked in bemusement. Surely, that was an interesting response he didn’t expect to hear, despite the language barrier. And he swore he thought he saw nothing less than a profound expression cross her face. The fatigue must be getting to him, it was a long day after all.

Tobirama sighed and turned around, hands outstretched behind his back, “Yes, it was… a difficult process, but that was all in the past. Now come, I’ll carry you on the way back”. Tsukiko paused for a moment, till understanding dawned on her face. She clambered onto his shoulders, gripping his hair as he stood up. 

Making sure she was comfortable yet tightly secure atop his shoulders, he grabbed the caged frog with his free hand and began the long trek back to Konoha. 

“ _Seńor_ ,” she called out from atop as she rested comfortably against his head, smushing his spikes into a flat sheet. “Ñame?”. 

He hummed in response. “You can call me Tobirama,” he answered, vigilantly watching the lively night around him. He casted his senses out once more. This time it’s just him and Tsukiko. No enemies and no rabbits. 

“Ok. _Sir_ _Tobi_ ”. He couldn’t see her expression, but he can imagine a tiny grin accompanying that declaration.

 _Sir Tobi, what a peculiar nickname,_ he thought to himself as he jumped up a nearby branch. Tsukiko let out a muffled giggle in his hair, surely enjoying the feeling of flying through the air. He couldn’t help, but chuckle at the reaction. 

Wait a moment. These gushy feelings belong to Hashirama. Why was he feeling this way?! He was Tobirama Senju, the White Demon, he _doesn’t_ do emotions. 

Suddenly, nothing short of horror dawned on him. 

Hashirama would never let him live this down. Never let this incident go. He’s going to gush over him having adopted a child of his own - which is absolutely false, he is not adopting any child - and welcome him with open arms to the throes of fatherhood.

He suppressed a shudder from the thought of Hashirama’s face perking up and filling with tears of joy at the sight of him. He can’t forget that bone crushing hug too; the one that surely squeezes the life out of you the moment you're in his grasps.Thinking about it is making his arms unnecessarily ache. 

He’s really hoping he’s not going to regret making this spur-of-the-moment decision.

“ _SirTobi_ ,” Tsukiko drearily whispered, beginning to doze off after exhaustion finally hit her full force. “Thank you. Feel safe. Cooler brother”. 

Tobirama definitely wasn’t smiling at that statement. He really wasn’t. Even if it took him some time to figure out what she meant. 

The familiar trees blurred past him as he continued his travels home. 

_Home_ , he thought with unbridled glee, glad that all the chaos is finally behind him.

A purplish glow seemed to light his path as the first hints of morning broke from the surface. Yet, the moon remained unchanging, shining as bright as ever despite the encroachments of dawn.

Maybe life’s unexpectedness isn’t so bad after all. 

Well, he’s certainly not complaining about the small white bundle nestled in his head that life seemed to drop on him.

* * *

Being the Hokage of Konoha, he was used to bizarre things that happened on a daily basis. 

Like how he was growing some trees, he ran into a group of Aburame who were attempting to mimic insect life in order to be more attune with their kikaichu. 

Hashirama swore he did a double take when an Aburame head popped out of the ground next to the grove of trees he was growing. 

Or when the Uchiha held their annual Himatsuri festival- a celebration where they honor the fire god Kagu-tsuchi for blessing them with their fire affinity. He had to rebuild a few buildings due to the sheer amount of fires they set off. It was no wonder why they were labeled as pyromaniacs throughout the elemental nations. 

He could go on, but trying to recall all the things he encountered ever since Konoha’s recent founding would surely give him nothing short of a migraine. 

Despite their sheer absurdness at times, all of these quirks are what make Konoha home. 

And he welcomed it all with open arms. 

It’s just sometimes, these bizarre things that occur could really throw him into a loop. 

“You know…” Hashirama trailed off, still recovering from his momentary shock. “When I sent you on that mission. I didn’t expect you’d come back with-“ he looked at the white bundle perched on Tobirama’s head,”-a child in tow…”

“ _Well,”_ he snarkily replied, hands crossed over his chest - Hashirama can literally see the sheer discontent roiling off him in waves - as he gave a mocking smile, “I’m sure there are _many_ things that we didn’t expect to happen did we, _Ha-shi-ra-ma_ ”.

Hashirama knows that tone. Knows how rarely his brother expresses his emotions let alone his discontent. Not many have lived to tell the tale of surviving his brother’s ire. He knows, from personal experience.

“Hahahaha,” he nervously chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I’m glad you’ve made it back home-“ He eyed his disheveled appearance, taking note of a few twigs stuck to his brownish coat and mysterious stains littering his outfit,“-in one piece. And completed the mission-“ now he turned his attention towards the caged silver frog placed upon his desk,“-despite unforeseen circumstances”.

Was it getting chilly in here or was it just him. He swore the last time he checked it should be around the summer season. 

“Anyways!” He clapped as he shook off the creeping feeling of foreboding doom. “Now on to important matters!” A bubbly feeling made its way up his chest as he let out a big, hearty grin.

His brother cringed in response as he slowly creeped nearer to the double-door entrance. 

“Tobi!!!” He threw his arms up as he gleefully exclaimed. “I’m delighted that you finally-“ an irk mark appeared on his brother’s head,”-decided to adopt a child of your own! Now I can be an uncle!”

Now that he looked closely, the little girl has the same exact snowy, white hair his brother has. This must be a sign. It has to be! Now he absolutely can’t wait to show his future niece around Konoha. Oh they’ll make flower crowns, play in the river, run around in the forest. He can just picture it already! Maybe... she’ll grow up to also be a ninja! He must prepare right away! Now what should -

“ _Hashirama! I. Am. Not. Adopting. Anyone_ ,” Tobirama bit out, a knowing look on his face as he interrupted his chain of thought. “I am not comfortable nor am I suited for such responsibilities!” 

Hashirama burned the scene in front of him to memory. A pissed off Tobirama with an adorable little girl snoozing on top of his head. He- he really can’t take him seriously. The situation was so comically jarring that he had to will himself not to burst out laughing and irritate his brother even more.

“Besides, I’m sure the orphanage will be able to provide a substantial place for her to grow up and make friends with kids her age”.

Oh that will just not do. Hashirama will see to it that this matchmade pair will end up together. His brother needs to loosen up anyways, and having a child is exactly what he needs. 

Plus he also wants to be an uncle. Clearly, having that child would clear two enemies with one kunai. The idea was simply brilliant!!

“But Tobi! I don’t rec-“

“Hokage-sama!” One of his aides called as he opened the door. “Here’s some of the-“. The aide cut himself off as he took one look at the conflicting scene in front of him. “I’ll…-“ he continued, edging himself back the way he came from,”be back later Hokage-sama”. 

The door closed shut behind him, leaving dead silence in its wake.

“Well,” his brother coughed out as a slight red flush crept up his neck. “I will be taking my _leave_ and will be getting Tsukiko-chan here settled in the village”. 

He opened the door, foot halfway through as he turned back towards Hashirama. “Don’t call for me. I’m exhausted and no, your puppy-dog attempts are futile. Stop doing that”. And with that he was out the door, leaving Hashirama by himself in the room. 

Mito would no doubt want to hear of this later. He’s certain of it.

* * *

The human world was a little bit different from what she expected. 

Surprisingly, much of the atmosphere in this world was emulated back on the moon’s atmosphere. 

Yet, the thing that completely threw her off were the time cycles between night and day. Back home - ~~_lands filled with red, red, red_~~ \- what dictated time was the moon’s position towards the Earth. When the moon rotated and faced towards the Earth, it was day. When faced away from the Earth, it was night. 

It felt uncanny to look up and see only the moon in the sky instead of a multitude of planets and galaxies. 

They turned the corner onto a slightly busy street, the strangers passing by stared no more than a few seconds before continuing with their day. 

Tsukiko - once Luna - was undoubtedly lucky - _or maybe Papa planned for this to happen_ \- that she ended up in the Land of Fire. Since her father - _don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t think about what happened_ \- told her many stories about his travels throughout the land. Her intrigue is what led her to learning a little bit of Hitonese. 

_Well,_ Tsukiko thought, cringing at her encounter with Tobirama, _thankfully_ _enough to get by_. 

“Is something the matter?” Tobirama asked, looking at her with a questionable gaze.

“No,” she scrambled for an answer, “Nervous?”

“I’m sure you’re just overthinking it. You’ll be fine,” he replied as he nodded in greeting to a passing couple. 

Tsukiko clearly disagreed with that statement, but let it slip. Everything was happening too fast for her to fully adjust to her new reality. Just a few days before she was passing the time counting the stars with father and now she’s in the complete unknown filled with hidden dangers. To add onto that, she has no knowledge of what became of her home - _~~thirty people barged into the room, scarlet invaded her vision~~ \- _and who might be out to get her.

Half-starved, delirious, and exhausted, it was a miracle she even ran into Tobirama. She shuddered at the thought of what could’ve been, the bad men coming to the forefront of her mind. Using chakra for travel can only take her so far, there was no way she would be able to escape if they decided to come back for her, well with her miniscule chakra stores and all.

A tall wooden structure started to come to view, its blue roofs glistened under the afternoon sun. A clock adorned the top of the center column and above that was a quaint bell. Around the perimeter was a wooden fence accompanied by colorful flowers of all shapes and sizes. 

“This is the orphanage,” Tobirama told her nodding towards the building in the distance. 

She observed her surroundings, noting how the chakra here was denser than normal. Unlike in town, the chakra seemed to come alive as if it was an entity itself. 

“It’s the trees,” Tobirama eyed her as they got closer to the building. “My brother grew them”.

 _Huh,_ she thought, _that explains the large gathering of chakra._

As she looked closer, there was a generous amount of towering trees sprinkled throughout the grounds. It almost covered the playground situated in the corner.

Tall double doors came into view. There was the Konoha symbol carved on the exterior, its swirls spanned across both doors.

The swirls reminded her of the Milky Way where galaxies and stars spun infinitely into existence. Where meteors danced across the sky. Where planets of all sizes shined with a devastating beauty. Where _home_ was. 

Ugh, the thoughts of home made her feel sick and terrible and _red red red -_

“Ah, Tobirama-sama, is - something - help - with?”

Tsukiko snapped out of her thoughts - _and wow they were inside already_ \- and turned towards the speaker. 

A lady with a dirty apron stepped towards them. Her black hair was swept into loose braids, dangling softly to both sides. She gazed at them with a questioning look, her amber eyes highlighted by the sliver of the sun’s rays streaming through the window. 

“Yes, Tsukiko-chan - room and -“

She couldn’t make out the rest of what he said. The words were too jumbled and fast to decipher. 

“I see”. A look of understanding flashed across the lady’s face before being replaced with a smile. 

She bent down in front of her. “Hello Tsukiko-chan. My name is Inari. It’s nice to meet you,” she said as she held out her hand. “Why don’t I help you get settled in”. 

“O….k...”. Tsukiko replied reluctantly as she hesitantly held out her hand - ~~_covered in Papa’s blood, thick, warm_~~ \- and grabbed Inari’s. She looked back at Tobirama, confusion clear on her face. 

Why was this lady helping her settle in? Didn’t Tobirama live here? Shouldn’t he be helping her settle in? 

“Inari is head of the orphanage,” he gestured to Inari. “She will take care of you”.

 _So I won’t be staying with Tobirama?_ She thought as dread started to creep onto her shoulders. _I was comfortable with the idea that I will be under Tobirama care. Not some strange lady?!_

Tobirama made her feel safe. He stopped those bad men in one fell swoop and talked passionately about his brother’s dream for children. Surely, he must be a part of the orphanage. 

Call her selfish, but she’d rather be under the care of someone strong and dependable like Tobirama than some random lady. 

“You will be staying here with others in a similar situation,” he told her, nodding for her to follow Inari. 

“But why not you _Sir Tobi_?” Tsukiko questioned as Inari looked at her in alarm. “You talked saving children-“ she tried recalling their conversation from the night before,“- you live and help here?”

He sighed as he put on a solemn gaze. The slight jolt in his chakra didn’t go unnoticed for her.

“I do not,” he told her gently. “I have other responsibilities that must be taken care of throughout the village”. 

_Responsibilities_. Her father had _responsibilities_ as a commander. And because of that, he had to stay behind and fight - _sacrifice -_ for their clansmen. 

Will everyone she ever felt safe or comfortable with disappear due to responsibilities?

A wave of disappointment, anger, and grief flooded her emotions. She didn’t notice her tears until a hand landed softly on her head. She looked up, noticing a soft gaze on Tobirama’s face. 

“Tsukiko,” he started, waiting to see if she was listening. She nodded and he continued. “My responsibilities lie in making sure the village is protected, so that you-“ he poked her head “-can be safe and happy. Understand?”

She understood the gist of it, but the thought of someone leaving her again made her feel sick to her stomach. Even though she may have just met Tobirama, she was undoubtedly very grateful for his actions. 

“Plus,” Inari added on as she rubbed soothing circles along her palm. “I'm sure you will still be able to see Tobirama-sama around the village”.

“Ok,” she reluctantly agreed. However, Inari’s assurances did nothing to calm her turbulent emotions. 

She’s learned to not always trust what people tell her.

There were those back home that fed her sweet lies in order to take advantage of her. Like the people that buttered up to her in order to curry favor with her father, but once she was out of sight would say nothing but insults behind her back. 

Her father was also not privy to it. He said he was fine, but she swore his wound was a lot more serious than he put out to be. There was too much blood - ~~ _hands covered in red red red_~~ \- just for it to be “just a scratch”. 

She looked at Tobirama, eyes hardened with utmost seriousness, hoping she could clearly convey what troubled her so much. She wanted to tell him not to let responsibilities kill you - ~~_A sword through his shoulder, his last words echoed into the darkness_~~ \- However, the sentence was too complex for her to voice. 

“Be- be careful,” she told him, settling on the simple phrase before she turned to Inari and gestured for her to lead. 

Inari gave a quick look to Tobirama before she led Tsukiko down the hallway. 

“I will,” he called out. Tsukiko didn’t look back. Instead, she gathered what courage she had, closed her eyes, and mentally prepared herself for her new home. 

Well, home _for now._

The dreariness hit her like a wave as they continued walking. Running on only adrenaline for the past few days and the accumulation of stress, grief, anger, and fear, has completely stretched her mind thin. 

But, she will have to worry about that later. Right now, rest was in order. 

Like father once said,” _Audentes fortuna iuvat(Fortune favors the bold)”._

She has to be strong. No choice but to be strong. She was alone, her father - _~~scarlet pooled around him, knee on the floor~~ \- _was back home fighting for her safety and that of the royal family’s. 

She will have to depend on herself to survive. Tobirama offering her a place in this village was a nice surprise, but she knows that life is unpredictable. Not everything will work in her favor, so she’ll have to be the one to pull the strings in order to create more favorable circumstances. 

Once she was strong enough, then and only then will she return to come back and save him. 

Someone has to help support her father - ~~_a rumble and flash of white, more red, red, red_~~ \- and if no one can, then-

_A_ _ut viam inveniam aut faciam_

_(_ _I will either find a way or make one)._

Her mother's necklace weighed heavily on her neck as she fiercely clenched it.

_You said to find something I value. Well Papá, I will become stronger, so I can protect you. Wait for me. I will save you from those traitors._


	2. Initium

“Hi! My name is Izuhara Akiara!”

Tsukiko eyed the girl before her. Her eyes were a nice chocolate brown and her darkish blonde hair was tied up in a short ponytail. Purple markings stood out brilliantly against her flushed face. It was a very interesting sight to see considering the lack of diverse features- or maybe because she’s only been in the village for a handful of days while sectioned at the orphanage no less- she’s seen so far. 

And, to say she was surprised was an understatement. Over the past few weeks of acclimatizing at the orphanage, she noticed that many of the kids that stayed here tended to steer clear of her. Well, if steering clear could be classified: huddling away from her, forming mini groups and shooting her looks here and there.

“It’s nice to meet you a-and-” she stammered out as she unconsciously twiddled her fingers, “-lets be friends!” She finished strongly, bent down in a ninety degree angle, and shot her right hand in front of her. 

_Wait what._

Is this some form of special etiquette unique to Hi no Kuni(Land of fire)? She doesn’t remember her father informing her of this nor does she recall ever reading about it in the royal library. Usually when people greet each other back at home they take the right fist to their heart, put the left behind their back, and slightly tilt their head forwards. Sometimes, nodding in acknowledgment to another person would suffice. But this… this “ _be my friend_ ” bow was a foreign concept to her.

She’s not even here to make friends in the first place. She needs to get stronger, gather more knowledge, and save her father - ~~a~~ _~~sword through his shoulder, scarlet draped the room~~ \- _and not waste time frolicking with a naive strange girl.

 _‘Quickness is the essence of war,’_ Tsukiko reminded herself. Her father’s voice echoed in the back of her mind, completing that statement. _‘Knowing your enemy and your personal failings will be the decisive move towards victory. Never forget Luna’._

She was most definitely at war. Well, at war with the traitors of the clan - _more likely one-sided at the moment if her existence to them was currently unknown_ \- and every action and move she makes right now would determine the outcomes of her father’s survival. Tsukiko reached out her hand in order to clasp the girl’s shoulders. Maybe if she gave her a stern rejection, the girl would probably get a little butt-hurt, but most likely leave her alone. It’s not like she’ll be staying here for the long run anyways. 

“N-“

“Great! Come with me!!” She exclaimed, leaving no room for answer. She snatched her hand and started dragging her to a grove behind the playground. No doubt, the action caught the attention of many of the other orphans in the nearby vicinity. 

Tsukiko stumbled after her, too stunned to pull away or use chakra to plant her feet down. They made their way through thickets and bushes, past the little creek trickling with water, and over a fallen log, till they arrived in a small clearing decorated with a few stumps and one gigantic tree. The sun shone high in through the treetops, depicting mid-afternoon. It dappled the clearing with slight shadows that stretched between the spaces of the undergrowth. When they finally made it to the base of the tree, she let go, turned around, and slumped against it. She inhaled deeply, before letting out a deep sigh. 

_What kind of a grip does she even have?!_ Tsukiko thought, rubbing her right hand tenderly while suspiciously eyeing the girl - _was it Kiara or Ciara_ \- slouched in front of her. 

“What are you waiting for? Come on sit!” The girl exclaimed excitedly as she patted the spot next to her. 

Tsukiko gazed at the spot reluctantly, hesitating for a few seconds before calmly situating herself down. She peered at the girl, wondering what her next move would be. Would she grab her wrist abruptly like before or would she decide to tackle her in friendliness? She honestly didn’t have a clue, but this time she was poised, ready to jump up and away from reach if needed. Wait, why was she even giving this girl the time of day, can’t she just up and leave her.

Sure, that would be rude, but it wasn’t like she forcefully half dragged a random person through the woods. 

“This here is my favorite place to spend time in,” she voiced out, cutting Tsukiko from her thoughts. “The trees, the meadow, the wildlife”. She threw her arms out, gesturing to the clearing. “Everything just seems to come alive”. Now that she mentioned it, the chakra here was a lot more potent than when she first entered the orphanage. It blanketed the atmosphere, wrapping it in an effervescent warmth that effortlessly calmed Tsukiko’s nerves. 

“Usually I come here when I feel like life is suffocating. Like I’m drowning in my thoughts and worries and I’m unable to see the surface clearly,” She laid back and closed her eyes, a soft smile accompanied her features. The girl seemed at peace, at ease with voicing her thoughts, even with the fact she’s telling all this to a complete stranger.

Tsukiko found her quite odd.

“But when I’m here, It’s… it’s like a breath of fresh air! And my mind -Ah-“ she stopped mid-sentence and flustered about, waving her hands rapidly. “So-sorry, I just keep rambling and rambling, silly me”. 

“Why?” Tsukiko looked at her curiously. “Tell me?” She understood the gist of what she said, taking key words from her statement and piecing them together. Hitonese was like those jigsaw puzzles her father did with her. Find the key pieces and simply match it to whichever piece fits best, till it all comes together to convey some sort of meaning or scenario. But, putting pieces together does not help her comprehend why this girl was even talking to her in the first place, and that was the one thing she just couldn’t seem to wrap her head around. 

“Well, you had this-“ she hesitated, eyeing Tsukiko’s movements,”-this look on your face that reminded me of my mother”. Her hands were now clasped together tightly as her smile fell. 

_Huh._

“I look,” Tsukiko pointed to herself. “You mother?” She wasn’t exactly sure what the girl meant, but if it’s what she thinks it is, then it didn’t really make sense for her to look like the girl’s mother. Last time she checked, she didn’t have purple markings on her face nor did she have darkish blonde hair. Unless the girl got that mostly from her father, then it’s a possibility.

“What?” The girl took a moment to register her statement, then immediately turned red and became a stuttering mess. “Wha-what no of course not!” She huffed out as she shook her head rapidly. Strands of her hair became loose from her ponytail. “I- I mean the face you made,” she pointed out like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Like emotions, uh feelings!”

It soon devolved into incoherent mumbling before she caught herself once more and shook her head. Tsukiko looked on, clearly perplexed by her explanation and her actions, but nodded for her to continue. Obviously, she misunderstood what she meant and maybe she’s just realizing that there may be a slight flaw to her methods of understanding Hitonese. But, it wasn’t completely her fault that the girl’s wording was very confusing. 

“You- my mom, we lost dad when I was younger to some bandits, or that’s what mother used to tell me anyways”. She peered down at her hands, eyes clouded in reminisce. “Yet, what I recall clearly from those passing days, before I was on my own, was the look my mother sported every waking day since dad’s passing. It’s like what I said earlier when life can be suffocating. But, dad's death didn’t suffocate her, it sucked the life out of her, and nothing was left except an empty shell of what once used to be”. Her lips pursed in thought. “It’s like looking at a dead tree-“ she gestured to the trees surrounding them, “what once used to be so full of life is now just a husk of its former glory. Do you- do you get what I mean?”

Thankfully, the supplemental Hitonese classes the orphanage has in joint with the newly established civilian school paid off. If she was asked if she understood what this girl said when she first arrived at the orphanage a few weeks earlier, her explanation would completely fly over her head.

Hitonese was subjectively a lot more complicated than her home language, _Motíne,_ due to the changes in subject matter and tense. Even though understanding it was easier than before, the language can still throw her in for a loop, or more specifically, the speaking part of it.

Well, at least she didn’t sound as embarrassing as the first night she met Tobirama. And she felt a bit offended to be compared to a dead tree. She didn’t look that dead last time she checked. Sure, for the first week she was an absolute wreck and would not come down to eat unless forced to. But, it wasn’t her fault, the porridge just kept morphing into _~~red, red, red~~ \- _and she needs to stop thinking about that now before her breakfast ends up on the girl beside her. 

“I do”. She told her. The girl beamed in response, like she accomplished the most glorious feat ever known to man. 

“Then, talk about what’s plaguing you. This is the best spot to do so anyways,” she added, smiling encouragingly. 

Tsukiko looked at her in shock. Wariness and alarm suddenly integrated itself into every fiber of her being and her muscles became tense once more in the case she needed to make a quick escape. _So that’s why she brought me here,_ Tsukiko thought, _to know my circumstances?_ An epiphany dawned in her mind. _We’re in a secluded clearing, a bit far from the orphanage, and no one in our near vicinity._ The place screamed ambush and now she was reaping the consequences of her ignorance. _No one would care if I went missing, well maybe except for Tobirama, but him saving me was a one-time thing. I haven’t seen him since, so it’s most likely he saved me on a whim and has more important things like the village to worry about. Thus, I would have to depend on myself in order to survive an attack._

She spread her senses out towards the edges of the clearing and a little bit beyond that. Although she didn’t have the full on Byakugan like her fellow clan members, she still inherited some form of sensing that equals in abilities. So far, no foreign signatures were registered in the perimeter, just the vibrant chakra of the trees. That rules out that possibility ( _unless the enemy was extremely skilled in hiding their chakra then she really was screwed_ ). _Which makes the possibility of her being a spy sent by the side branch more likely. She would probably need to hear my situation to confirm who I am, that way, they would know where I am and kill me._

Either way, she had to play her cards carefully. She was in no way strong enough to fight off the people who fought her father, but she could still heighten her chances of survival by making her circumstances a bit more favorable. 

“I don’t remember my problems being your business,” Tsukiko told her sharply, trying not to betray the inner turmoil she was experiencing. Her chakra was churning throughout her body in the case she needed a quick speed boost for a possible escape. 

“Ah! So-sorry! I didn’t mean to forcefully pry it out of you. I just, my mother bottled up all her suffering and despair til it was too late to-“ she bit out her words, “to save her. And-“ her voice took on a more determined tone, “and no one deserves to go through all of that alone”. 

That was the opposite of what she expected. Surely, she expected more forceful questioning, even a threat if what she suspected was true, not a well-hearted gesture and confession. Unless, she was using emotional sympathy as a way to lure her into a trap. Or, maybe she’s being more paranoid than usual and this girl genuinely wants to help her. 

“I see. That is… very thoughtful of you”. She replied, still keeping up her guard in case it was all just a ruse.

“No”. She shook her head in clear disagreement. “It’s just the right thing to do. I don’t want a replay of what happened to my mother. One is enough already”. 

_How noble_ , she thought, seeing the girl in a slightly better light. She was still wary of the girl, but what she said was admirable. Not many would go out of their way for someone they don’t know, especially someone the majority of the orphanage was avoiding. Her father would no doubt take an instant liking to her passionate, kind spirit. 

“I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon,” Tsukiko told her. It seems the girl lost her mother to suicide or through some form of life-threatening decision. It was considerate of her to check in on her well-being, but she wasn’t planning on killing herself or doing something suicidal. Sure, she has had thoughts of just letting all the pain and suffering go, but it would go against one of the very teachings she’s been raised by: _Dum vita est spes est (While there is life, there is hope)._ The saying emphasized how taking your life doesn’t end the chances of life getting worse, it eliminates the possibility of it ever getting any better. Thus, no matter how bleak the circumstances are, there is always a way to improve it. And if there was none then _Aut viam inveniam aut faciam (_ _I will either find a way or make one)._

Also, what of her father, he fought for her to live and see another day. To kill herself would be an act of selfishness and go against his wishes. He wanted her to live - _and wasn’t that a loaded complex statement despite how simple it came out as. Live how?_ \- not just throw her life away. 

“And... there were these nasty rumors-“ she scrunched up her face recalling it,”- spreading around about you. Like you’re a _K_ _ijo,_ but I don’t believe a single bit of it! My mama used to tell me that there’s more to a person than meets the eye and to just assume someone is a- a _K_ _ijo_ is wrong!” She exclaimed passionately, clearly getting heated up over the subject. “You shouldn’t take those rumors to heart-“ she pointed at Tsukiko, “those other kids are just ignorant bullies that have nothing better to do”.

Well, Tsukiko wasn’t even listening in on the rumors or gossip in the first place. It’s a waste of time to exude any effort in clearing her name when she has more important matters to focus on. Besides, she didn’t even know what a _Kijo_ was and was only just hearing about this now. 

“Kijo?”

“Oh! Um, Kijo are a type of Oni. They are like evil creatures or demons in Hi no Kuni folklore. Kijo’s are rumored to have eaten the baby of a pregnant woman and have the most hideous of hearts. Some of the children believe that you ate a child in order for your appearance to become more youthful, and as a result, was cursed to have your hair become white like an old lady,” she explained as a look of disgust made its way to her face.

Suddenly, her mood took a complete one-eighty. “Not that I’m calling you old or anything, honestly, you are pretty, I mean- I find your hair to be really pretty, like as pure and soft as the snow my mama once told me stories of. Unless your hair is not soft, which is definitely not a bad thing since -“

Tsukiko tuned her out as she digested the new information. Devouring a pregnant woman’s child?! The thought of such an act sent shivers down her spine. 

But, she has to admit, it was astonishing to see how people of different cultures perceive physical features. Back home, having white hair was a common shared trait harbored by most Otsutski. To not have white hair meant that you were of lower social class or of mixed blood and did not receive the full blessing of the ancestors, or well that’s what the elders claimed. Yet, in Konoha or Hi no Kuni in general, dark colored hair seems to be the norm so far and anything outside of that is looked at in disdain.

Wait, didn’t Tobirama also have white hair just like herself. If she was being bad-mouthed with rumors in the orphanage, wouldn’t he also be going through the same experience except on a much grander scale. A slight annoyance bubbled up at the thought. 

“- and that’s why it’s hard to have soft hair since bath products are super duper -“

“Is Sir Tobi called a _Kijo_ too?” Tsukiko cut in.

“Huh”. She paused at the question, her sentence falling off the tip of her lips. “Oh! Um, Sir Tobi, Sir Tobi,” she repeated the name to herself like a mantra, eyebrows scrunched in thought. Recognition pooled in her eyes as she snapped her fingers. “Ah! You mean Senju Tobirama-sama. He is definitely not called a Kijo-“ she crossed her arms in an x-shape and shook her head,” - or an Oni even though he has hair similar to yours. Tobirama-sama is a very respected individual of the village, brother to the hokage, and an important figure of the Senju clan. He has protected the village since its founding and has helped establish many of the essential infrastructures needed for Konoha to function. To call him a Kijo or Oni would be nothing short of courting your own demise”. 

She honestly was a bit relieved to hear that. To be disregarded as such by his own people, despite what he does for them, would be nothing short of outrageous, especially if the discrimination stemmed from something as shallow as physical appearances. Tobirama, from what she knew of him so far, seemed to be a benign individual. Although he could come across a bit stern, he usually had good intentions behind it, like when he brought her to the village safe and sound even though he was a bit wary of her. It also gave her a better idea on the extent of Tobirama’s duties in which the girl’s explanation - _seriously what was her name again_ \- confirmed it.

And the name Senju seems to carry a lot of weight in this village. She’ll have to look into it more later. But, she’ll have to admit, the girl was a treasure trove of information. She’s learned more about Tobirama and Konoha today than in the past few weeks which was pretty sad on her part. 

_I guess it’ll be alright to keep her close_ , she thought, _it would be a waste to reject her advances when she is quite useful. Besides, she’ll just be an acquaintance._ She affirmed that thought. _Yes, just an acquaintance._ It wouldn’t be good to keep labeling her as that girl then. 

“I missed your name,” Tsukiko told her.

“Oh! It’s Izuhara Akiara, but you can call me Aki-san for short”. Akiara responded with glee. “Waaaiitt“ She squinted at her, “how old are you?” 

She celebrated her birthday last December and if she remembered correctly, it should be mid April as of right now. “Seven,” She responded and startled at Akiara’s reaction. Were those stars in her eyes?

“Ho ho ho,“ she stood up, chuckled out with both fists placed on her hips, and turned towards her. “You must call me Aki-sempai cause I am five years older than you”. Tsukiko wasn’t sure if she was hallucinating or if Akiara’s nose was elongating itself. These addresses must be the social customs she’s learned about. Something about the importance of age and respect towards people older than you. 

A bell tolled three times in the distance, interrupting Akiara’s nonstop chuckles. Its sounds reverberated off the trees and echoed throughout the clearing, and Tsukiko, for the first time, thanked her lucky stars for the dinner bell. Usually, she didn’t look forward to eating since it took a lot of effort to stomach her food without feeling queasy, and the looks and stares she’d receive during meal time was enough to make her feel uneasy. But, the secluded clearing and possibility of getting attacked or spied on really grated on her nerves, no matter how well-intentioned Akiara appeared to be. It doesn’t hurt to be too careful. Besides, the happy and carefree Luna was now just a fragment of her past. She was Tsukiko now: deceptive, cautious, and strategic. Luna might not be able to save her father, but it wouldn’t matter since Tsukiko would take care of what Luna couldn’t.

 _(But_ _maybe, that small part of her from her past was thankful for Akiara’s abrupt intervention in her life and offer of warm companionship)._

* * *

Hints of the approaching summer heat engulfed the room. The curtains wavered with the wind and swayed gently with the calm breeze. Sunlight filtered through the multiple windows behind the Hokage desk, highlighting Hashirama’s shadows.

It was another gorgeous day in Konoha. No clouds, no rain, and no storms. The village was alive: the hustle-bustle of the marketplace, the lively chatter of school children playing in the newly constructed playground - courtesy of Hashirama’s masterful art in building - and the lovely chirping of the pigeons.

Hashirama basked in the warmth of the vibrant chakra. He breathed in once, twice, three times, enjoying the fragrance of the blooming sakuras that carried through the window.

It was a wonderful smell.

It reminded him of long walks with his lovely wife Mito at the park, his childhood days hanging with Madara underneath the blanket of trees, and the last time he hugged his mother before her untimely passing. All fond, happy memories long since passed that Hashirama has cherished throughout his years, just like the sakura blossoms: beautiful yet fleeting. 

He couldn’t imagine being in a foul mood when the day was just so brilliant and magnificent.

Well, he really couldn’t because his brother already made it a reality.

Hashirama eyed his enigma of a brother. Despite the effervescent warmth of the afternoon, it was still ten degrees colder than it should be, and the origin of it all seemed to come from the very corner his brother was situated in. To add onto that, Hashirama swore that this was the tenth time in the past hour his brother picked on his fur coat. 

His brother. Being fidgety. It’s a common fact that fidgety and Tobirama don’t mix. He would never waste his movements on something so trivial. If efficiency and practicality was a person, it would be him- always focusing on the most cost-effective actions to get the most profitable results or how the end always justifies the means. 

Sometimes, people were mistaken that they were, indeed, actually brothers. They were like opposite ends of the spectrum.

But, maybe that’s why they work so well together. Him with his dreams and his brother finding the most realistic ways to achieve it. One was the anchor to reality, the other was the steering wheel that aimed for the rumors of paradise. Both in their own ways help the boat sail, but one cannot function without the other. With no anchor, the boat would be adrift and lost at sea, and without a steering wheel, the boat would have nowhere to go. 

Although he may sometimes not agree with his brother’s actions, it’s no mistake that he is a very capable individual. And wow, now that makes that the eleventh time his brother has done it. 

“Tobi”. Hashirama called out to him, ignoring the glare sent his way.

“What is it now?” He questioned, raising his brow and looking at him from the corner of his eyes. 

“Is…”. He voiced it out as gently as he could. “Is something the matter Tobi?” He made sure to ignore the intensified glare his brother shot him. 

“I have no clue what you’re talking about,” He retorted, turning away. He squinted at the paper before him as if he was waiting for it to form legs and walk away. 

Alright, there clearly was something bothering him. 

“Well Tobi-“. 

“Actually,” He cut in sternly. “No, I don’t want to hear it”. 

Hashirama sighed. His brother was being stubborn, like usual. It’s like trying to tell a burning person they’re on fire. Except, they’ll brush off your claims and tell you that they are in fact not on fire, and just slightly warmer than usual. A few moments passed and Hashirama decided to tackle the subject again. 

“You know,” Hashirama pointed out. “Staring at a piece of paper isn’t going to make it write itself”. 

Usually, no one is able to tell what hides behind his brother's stoic facade. To them, Tobirama was like a stone brick wall. Emotions, feelings, all bundled up and stored away, never to see the light of day. But, Hashirama could read him like the back of his hand. It came with the perk of growing up with him and having to depend on each other to survive the next day. And based on how Tobirama was acting, there definitely was something on his mind. 

“And what would you know about being productive?” He snapped back, clearly irritated.

He may be fluent in Tobirama speak, but dealing with a crabby Tobirama was a whole ‘nother task in itself. 

“Enough to know that something is clearly bothering you”. He calmly replied. 

Tobirama huffed, leaned back in his chair, and turned away from him. Hashirama sighed once more. He lost count of which sigh he was on after the sixteenth one. 

“Tobi”. Hashirama began slowly, “I think it’s best for you to take the day off. You’ve done quite a lot for today”. 

Actually, his brother has accomplished an incredible amount of work in the past few weeks. With speaking to the Daimyo and establishing better relations after the whole frog mission fiasco - he still can’t stop chuckling over the dichotomy his brother presented himself as - observing surrounding small villages and towns and promoting Konoha business, and further developing the curriculum of the established shinobi school. No matter how much Tobirama complained about work, he went above and beyond in completing his tasks, to the point that he made extra work for himself on top of what he had in order for the end result to reap maximum profit. Seriously, his brother put _workaholics_ to shame. 

Tobirama scoffed. “There is no way I’m leaving you alone knowing how abysmal you are at organizing”.

Hashirama cringed at the response. He knew full well his organizational skills. It was a miracle that he managed to run a village without it all going down into flames. 

“I will make sure to ask Mito to aid me in my work,” Hashirama added. He needed to think of how to thank Mito later. Perhaps getting some of the rare cinnamon and cumin from the Sindria trade group would do the trick. She has been complaining about how the ramen she cooks is missing it’s usual kick. 

“Alright”. His brother didn’t look convinced. “But, what about the land expansion request from the Nara's?” 

“That will be taken care of”. 

“And the Akimichi food production?”

“I will make sure to talk to Chouka about trade deals with potential villages”. 

“What about the clearly suspicious handlings of the _Uchihas,”_ He put a lot of emphasis on the word, “are doing”.

Hashirama closed his eyes and pinched his nose, letting out a deep breath. “We talked about this Tobi”. 

“I know but this is abnormal. The facts are their brother. What kind of clan would need that much metal? Don’t look at me like that. I understand the need for metal in some clans, but the majority of clans don’t order an absurd amount of it. They instead order gear and other metal tools from the newly established black smith union. They shouldn’t need that much. We’re in an era of peace! Not war”. Tobirama finished passionately as he glared at his brother. 

“I’m sure Madara will have a reason for it”. 

“How would you know he’s not pulling any underhanded tricks”. He seethed out, a slight scowl on his face. 

“I’ve known him since we were children. He wouldn’t since he’s also tired of needless fighting”. Hashirama tiredly replied.

He knew how unforgiving his brother was and the grudge his brother held against the Uchihas, despite how they’ve put aside their differences. Ever since both of their little brothers mercilessly died at their hands, he’s always been wary of them in the case he’d lose more people he cared about - despite how depressingly small the group was - from them.

It worried Hashirama sometimes on whether his brother would be able to put aside his prejudices to work with them for the sake of a better future. 

“You can’t just-“

“ _Tobirama”_. 

“Fine”. He bit out as he stood up from his desk. “I’ll be at my usual spot since-“ with his back facing Hashirama he tilted his head slightly upwards, the corner of his eyes making contact with Hashirama’s figure,”-I’m apparently not needed”. He slammed the door on the way out. The silence echoed in his wake, enveloping the room. Hashirama slumped into his chair and laid his head back.

Despite how magnificent a shinobi and worker his brother was, he absolutely sucked in the emotional department.

* * *

Tobirama trudged through the streets of Konoha. He wasn’t mad persay. Oh no, he was _furious_. 

Firstly, he was annoyed that he was kicked out of the office. He was doing his work just fine til his bothersome brother decided to butt in. 

Secondly, during his time outside the village, there has been some suspicious activity going on that has left him on edge. What was Suna shinobi doing so far from their desert domain, especially in the deep forests of Hi no Kuni? He’ll have to investigate more later and inquiry the shinobi patrols about it. Hashirama has a village to run, so it was up to him to solve these kinds of problems. 

Lastly, his brother was a tree-hugging, ever loving blind buffoon. Tobirama swears his bleeding heart will be the death of him and no matter how irritating or idiotic his brother could be, a small part of him wouldn’t be too happy to hear the news of his brother’s demise. 

He’s too blinded from his friendship and past with Madara that he is unable to see underneath the underneath. But, Uchihas are crafty, he knows from personal experience. Tobirama won’t fall for it. He may be courteous now, but the moment they step out of line and endanger the lives of others, he won’t be afraid to exact justice. Like they say, keep your friends close but your enemies closer. 

_Right, left, right, left_ \- his surroundings registered as a blur to him as he continued placing one foot in front of the other - _right, left, right_ … 

He didn’t keep track of where he was going until he suddenly found himself standing in a familiar clearing.

The outskirts of the orphanage.

* * *

“Tsukiko-chan”.

Tsukiko looked up from her Hitonese studies and turned towards the direction of the voice. Inari was peeking her head in the dim-lit room she stayed in. She was alone in the room. The other kids went outside to play while she decided that touching up on Hitonese would be a better use of time ( _well it’s not like they wanted her around anyways and Akiara came down with a slight fever, so there was no one coming in to drag her to the outside world)._

“You have a visitor”.

 _That’s odd,_ Tsukiko thought as she closed up her book. _Who would want to come see me._ She hasn’t really talked to anyone else except from Akiara - _forcibly_ \- in the past few weeks. Unless the side branch has shown up to come take her. Then she really was screwed. 

“A visitor?” She voiced out slowly, confusion clear on her face. 

“Yes. A visitor,” Inari affirmed as she turned down the hall. “Come with me, we shouldn’t keep our guest waiting”. 

Tsukiko reluctantly got up and followed Inari down the hallway. She extended her senses outward, trying to pick out who her unknown visitor was. It pinged against a solid wall of chakra- sturdy and cool like a calm lake thrumming with boundless power. It felt familiar. Comforting actually. Definitely not the same feeling her clansmen chakra feels like. 

She finally arrived at the entrance near the front of the orphanage. The shining rays of the afternoon sun engulfed her vision and she took a few moments to adjust to the change of brightness.

“Afternoon Tsukiko-chan”. Tobirama stood regally, hands in pockets as he peered down at her. His fur coat exuded a royal blue-ish color amongst the viridian green of the surrounding trees. His poise meant business, there was no mistaking that he was a powerful individual in his own right. 

“Ah, Sir Tobi”. Tsukiko was a bit baffled by Tobirama’s sudden appearance. She wasn’t expecting him to visit her, especially with how busy he was helping manage the village. “Afternoon”.

Inari cut in, stepping in between both Tsukiko and Tobirama. “I have to go back and finish cleaning out the main hall”. She looked at them both then continued,” I’ll leave you two to it”. And with that, she headed back inside and waved them off. 

“Ahem. Sir Tobi,” Tsukiko started, looking up at his towering figure. She would never admit it out loud, but Sir Tobi’s presence could be a bit intimidating. “What brings you here?” 

“I was just… making my rounds around the village and thought it would be beneficial to check on how the orphanage was doing,” Tobirama replied. 

That made sense. It wouldn’t be reasonable for him to go out of his way to visit a chil- an _orphaned_ child, due to how many responsibilities he has to take care of. Besides, she wasn’t that special, she’s just another kid in the crowd ( _Well a kid that people tend to steer clear of. It was only Akiara who was abnormal and Inari that wasn’t afraid to interact with her)_. He didn’t seem like the type to waste time on trivial things anyways. 

“Would you like to join me on my rounds?” He inquired, eyeing her for any reaction.

She wasn’t averse to the idea, but the question did take her a bit by surprise. Well, accepting the offer would help her have a better picture of the village layout, and being honest, she hasn’t really been out of the orphanage since she was admitted. 

“Ok”. She responded, stepping to where Tobirama stood.

They made their way out of the orphanage and towards the main street leading close to the village center. Tobirama matched his gait with Tsukiko’s footsteps, making sure he didn’t stray too far so she wouldn’t have a hard time keeping up. It was quite the sight the two made. Both sporting distinct snow white hair, except one was a man whose looks could kill and the other was a harmless cute little girl. It surely caused a few people passing by to do a double take at the unique view. 

They passed by storefronts and cafes, past quaint neighborhoods, and traveled down a row of cherry blossom trees till they found themselves amidst the bustling market square. 

“Get your cabbages! They are delicious and absolutely one of a kind! Don’t miss out!”

“Fresh fish from Wave. Caught and shipped this morning!”

“Green Tea! Jasmine Tea! Any kind of tea you’re thinking, all especially imported from Tea country!”

The streets were lined with vendors, each sporting unique goods from exotic vegetables to wooden trinkets and accessories. There were children playing tag around the stands, traders bargaining with customers, and vibrant chatter carrying through the air. The place was packed, but surprisingly, despite how crowded it was, they didn’t bump into anyone. 

“How have you been settling in these past few weeks?” Tobirama asked, making sure his voice was loud enough to be heard over the lively sounds of the market. 

“It’s been-“ Tsukiko hesitated, mind flashing through what happened in the past few weeks ( _and well when she looks back at it, her experience really wasn’t that great)_ , “-alright”. She finished off and looked to the side where a man was trying to barter for some apples. Tobirama eyed her weirdly, but didn’t question her further. 

“That’s,” he paused. “Good to hear”. Silence followed his answer and they continued their way down the road. 

The marketplace in Konoha sent a wave of nostalgia over her. It reminded her of the forum back at home: Where jovial tunes weaved through the air, where mothers would meet up and have joyful banter as they shopped for goods, where people would make speeches or perform outrageous acts that would ensnare the attention of their audience. Where it was so captivating that all you could see was ~~_red red red_ ~~ _-_

“Is something the matter?”

“No,” Tsukiko answered reflexively. She cast her gaze to her surroundings in order to come up with an excuse. “Um, Sir Tobi”. She pointed at a stand where there were steaming hot, mini dough balls on display. “What’s that?”

Tobirama looked at what she was inquiring about. There was a man, no older than thirty, pouring liquid dough on a pan over a makeshift fire. He decorated it with a variety of sauces, finished it up with putting a red like substance in the middle, and flipped it over using chopsticks. The steam was so thick that it was visible even from where she was standing. She took a deep breath and inhaled the enticing scent. 

“Ah. That. That’s Takoyaki. It’s a delicacy brought in by traders from Whirlpool”. 

“Whirlpool?”

“It’s a place east of Konoha, where the land meets the sea”. 

Tsukiko has never been to the sea before. She remembered her father telling her how her ancestors tried to replicate the same atmosphere Earth had, but the farthest they’ve ever gone was creating a lake since creating a sea was too difficult. But, she’s heard many stories of its untamed waters and thrashing spirit ( _well that’s how she remembered father describing it)._

“Would you like to try some?” Tobirama asked her. 

“No it’s ok”. She replied, but right after she answered, her stomach grumbled. Tsukiko felt a slight heat creep up to her cheeks and internally smacked herself. Just great.

“I think your stomach says otherwise,” He pointed out, his eyes swimming with slight amusement. “Here, I’ll be right back”.Tobirama walked up to the stand and began conversing with its owner. 

That was absolutely embarrassing. Why couldn't her stomach just learn to cooperate for once. First it refused to keep down her food no matter how much she willed herself, and now when she doesn’t want food, it decides to wake up and announce its presence to the world. Plus, now she would have to find a way to pay back Tobirama for the Takoyaki, and it doesn’t help that she’s completely flat broke. Well, if she were to think about it, the situation couldn’t be helped, it’s probably the result of skipping meals for the past few weeks and her stomach having it’s well-needed revenge. 

Tobirama walked backed, two sticks skewered with steaming hot Takoyaki in both hands. He held out the one closest to her and she eyed it hesitantly. She didn’t feel comfortable with the idea of owing someone back, especially if the person technically saved her. It tugged on her guilt to keep depending on him even more. 

He waited patiently, the Takoyaki still held out in front of her. “Don’t worry”. He told her as if knowing exactly what was troubling her and urged her to take the stick. “It’s for walking with me. I also got one for myself too, so why don't we eat it together”. 

Well, if he worded it like that, it would be rude to reject him. Tsukiko slowly and hesitantly reached out, grabbed the stick, and began to inspect it. The dough was cooked to a golden crisp and slathered in a rich dark sauce. To top it off were little flakes of green and pink sprinkled all over its sides. She could feel the heat radiating off it, telling her that it was definitely fresh off the grill. 

She hasn’t seen anything like it before. Balls on sticks. The sight and thought of it struck her quite odd.

She nibbled a bit off the top and relished the gush of flavor that invaded her taste buds. Soft, savory, with a little bit of tang, they all came together perfectly. Whoever invented this delicacy was pure genius. Actually, scratch that, no they were legendary. 

“Mmmm _Delectamenti (Delicious)!_ ”

“It seems to me that you like it”.

She nodded her head vigorously in as she continued to munch on it. Her eyes captivated on the delight in her hands. “Phwat init?” She asked as she took another mouthful of Takoyaki. 

“Well, the red thing in the middle is a piece of octopus. It’s a species that you can find in the sea”.

“Ak-to-pas?”

“Octopus,” Tobirama corrected her as he finished off his last piece of Takoyaki.

She couldn’t imagine what kind of creature these “octopuses” look like, especially with how red they appear to be. But, she was absolutely sure that Takoyaki was the greatest delicacy ever to be created. Forget the wheat pancakes and honey or roasted pheasant with plum sauce, Takoyaki was the way to go. Ok, she really needed to stop obsessing over the delightful snack.

As they continued down the mainstreet from the marketplace, a large rotunda-like shaped building came into view, towering over the short-rise wooden buildings and trees surrounding it. Its red paint job popped out amongst the sheer mountain backdrop with a symbol for the word- or what she believes the word is since her Hitonese wasn’t that advanced - fire in Kanji. The building could arguably be one of the tallest, if not, the tallest building out of all of Konoha. 

By the looks of it, this building seemed to be very important. There was a constant wave of people entering and exiting the building and Tsukiko wondered if there would ever be an end in sight. 

“That’s Konoha’s main administration building on which we call the Hokage tower”. Tobirama pointed out, shooting a knowing look towards her direction. “It’s where the Hokage’s office is located and- “ His eyes narrowed “where my brother should be now”.

She wasn’t exactly sure if there was a dark aura seeping out from Tobirama as he bit out the word brother or if she was hallucinating. Well, she didn't point it out anyways since she values her life. 

“That reminds me, do you plan on trying for the Shinobi academy?” 

“I’ve heard of it when other orphans talked, but I don’t know much”. 

“I see” They continued walking, the Hokage tower becoming closer as more time went by. “I think you would be a good fit in the academy”.

The statement caught her by surprise and she peered at him. “Why?” Curiosity seeped into her voice.

“Well, I can tell you know your way around chakra, which is pretty impressive for your age” He explained as they turned right off the main road and down another street. “Most kids don’t unlock their chakra senses till they’re at least eight and aren’t able to fully understand and utilize it till they’re ten. Well, of course there are certain exceptions and other factors depending on the environment, type of clan they’re from, or whether they’re a prodigy or not”. 

“Stil,” He added on,“Konoha is in an age of peace, so there is no reason for children to learn such techniques unless their parents thought otherwise”. 

“I see”. Tsukiko churned the observation in her head. “How long was peace Sir Tobi?”

His eyes became distant as he recalled the events leading up to the new era of peace. “Ten years,” He said as he looked at the Hokage tower now on his left, his expression not giving away anything. 

When Tsukiko put his statement into perspective, ten years is actually a pretty short amount of time for a village. When compared to her clan, it's like demonstrating the difference between a sun and a star. In which case, Konoha would be the newly born star and her clan would be the millennial sun. 

Cheerful chatter carried through the air and became louder and louder as they got farther from the Hokage tower. A white building - a bit similar in shape of the Hokage tower - came into view. There was the iconic kanji symbol for fire plastered on the dome-shaped front. On top of it was a bronze bell surrounded by red tiles. A fence surrounded the perimeter of the school and inside it were a wooden playground, a field, and a tree with a swing tucked into the edges of the premise.

“This is the Shinobi academy I mentioned to you earlier”. Tobirama said as they stopped near the fence. 

Children around her age were scattered throughout the field. Some were eating lunch under the shaded canopies of the clustered trees, others were running around on the field playing tag, and a handful were hanging around in the playgrounds. 

She never really had the chance to mingle with other kids her age back in her clan. They avoided her just like the kids in the orphanage ( _well for different reasons)_ and so she mostly spent her time alone in the library scouring texts or reading mystical stories. It was only her father that provided the solace of company whenever he was around.

“It's the spring session right now”. Tobirama continued. She removed her gaze from the lively sight and looked at him. “Some tested in the Spring to get in while others have been part of the curriculum since a young age”. 

They continued to observe the vibrant scene in front of them a bit more. Her eyes however, landed on two figures - both seemed to be boys - relaxing near the lone tree with a swing. What caught her attention was the one wearing the cat-eared head cap. It was a very interesting choice for headwear. She’s never seen the likes of it before. 

Suddenly, a chime filled the air three times. As if on cue, the children abandoned what they were doing. Some were reluctant while others were already half-way back inside the school. Lazily, both figures got up and began to follow the other children. During the process, the cat-ear’s companion stretched his arms, shook the leaves off his darky curly hair, and glanced her way. 

Their gazes met.

At first, he sputtered a little bit and a flustered look made its way onto his face. Then he recovered his composure, his eyes turned into crescents as two dimples were etched into his cheeks by his sheepish grin. A small wave - _or could that even be called a wave. Tsukiko wasn’t sure_ \- followed his actions. The cat-eared boy noticed his companion’s odd gestures and began to turn to where he was looking. However, he didn’t get the chance to when the other boy turned around, slung his arm around the back of his companion, and dragged him towards the building.

 _What was that?_ Tsukiko was left dumbfounded at the boy’s actions. 

“There should be another entrance exam in the Fall… that is if you do plan on going to the Shinobi academy”. Tobirama cut in, bringing back Tsukiko’s attention from the weird spectacle she just witnessed. 

“Are there other academies besides the Shinobi Academy?”

“Well, since Konoha has been founded a bit recently, there are only a handful of schools established. There is another Shinobi academy, but it’s more of a remedial school than anything else”. He turned away from the school and gestured for her to follow. From there, they walked onto a worn down path. The direction they traveled through had the least amount of traffic compared to the places earlier. Here, there were a few shops open, but the streets were a bit more on the empty side.

“The Shinobi Academy we passed through earlier is the most prestigious academy out of all academies”.

“If it’s prestigious….entrance exam must be hard. Yes?” Tsukiko questioned as she thought about what could possibly be on the test. Her father was the one that was mostly in charge of her education, so she wouldn’t know what's needed to complete an entrance exam.

“Well, it is certainly more difficult than all the other entrance exams”. A thoughtful expression emerged on his face. “However, as long as you can get your Hitonese up to par then I’m sure that you’ll do fine”. 

She cringed a bit at his statement. Her Hitonese wasn’t _that_ horrendous. Well, sure she wasn’t completely fluent. _Yet._ But, she could form a few sentences and understand the context of a conversation to a certain extent. Her puzzle approach at the language, at times, was a bit flawed, she admits. But, it wasn’t her fault that she was suddenly shoved here in Hi no Kuni(Land of Fire). 

Tobirama noticed her dejected expression and sighed. “I’m not saying your Hitonese is bad. It’s just, you will be judged equally to other candidates regardless of your circumstances when you decide to take the exam”. 

“I understand”. She responded to his statement. Nothing was ever fair in the world. Her father hammered that saying into her. But, a small part of her pride still felt a bit wounded by what he said. 

“I believe the joint education the orphanage has with the preparatory civilian school should cover the basics of the other subjects”.

“It’s only Hitonese. Have hard time with”. 

“Oh. Are you fine with the other subjects then?”

“...Yes”. 

She had her father to thank for what she knows so far, despite how cut short her education was. 

“I see”.

She couldn’t tell exactly what he was thinking over her response. It was like trying to read a brick wall. Even his chakra was shut off from the world, so it was honestly a surprise, now that she thinks about it, that she was able to sense it earlier when he approached the orphanage. 

A slight breeze danced in their wake as the late-afternoon sun began to descend down the sky. If Tsukiko guessed correctly, they should be heading in the direction of the orphanage right about now. 

The walk around Konoha was intriguing to say the least. The architecture here wasn’t as complex as the structures back in her homeland, rather they all had a nice simplicity to it that emphasized its elegance. At least now she has a better layout of what Konoha looks like instead of what the inside of the orphanage looks like. The bustling marketplace, the towering Hokage tower, and the Shinobi academy were all places outstanding in their own right.

Plus, with what Tobirama told her, she should start preparing for the Shinobi Academy exam in the upcoming fall. It could prove beneficial if she were to enroll in the academy which would aid her in her long-term goal. 

She’ll also have to figure out a way to earn money in this village. Someone has to take on the job of eating all that Takoyaki that man was cooking up - _she gladly volunteers for the job -_ and just thinking about that steaming hot goodness made her mouth water once more. 

“When you are sensing someone don’t put so much force into it”. Tobirama mentioned out of the blue as the tops of the orphanage began to come into view. 

_?!,_ Tsukiko thought - _was it even possible to think such a thought -_ as she turned to him with wide eyes. Firstly, that was very sudden. Secondly, this was one of the first that someone has pointed out her sensing skills. She didn’t have the Byakugan like her fellow clanmates, but she still somehow inherited the innate sensing abilities that the Byakugan possesses - _well more of a knock-off version than the real one._

Actually, scratch that, why was he telling her this in the first place?

“I only noticed your chakra ping since I am a sensor myself”. Tobirama calmly continued. “Usually, your method would work if the person you’re aiming for is not a sensor. However, in the case you’re dealing with another sensor, you should seep your chakra into the other natural chakra in the background so that you can go unnoticed”.

“What,” was all she managed to say and she inwardly smacked herself for not saying more. “Why?” She asked, voicing out her thoughts once more.

Tobirama didn’t say anything in response. Instead, he made a pensive face at her inquiry. 

Some time passed, the sky began to be dyed in a brilliant orange and highlighted the ever growing shadows of the orphanage they were approaching. They passed the surrounding fences, crossed the field, and soon found themselves at the front of the orphanage- a place they were both once at a few hours earlier. 

She was still baffled by what he told her and was waiting for an answer to her question. Did he tell her to help her? Or, did he tell her expecting her to be indebted to him in the future? She wasn’t sure, however it seems she has to add unpredictable to the growing list of how she characterized Tobirama.

Standing at the entrance, Tobirama looked down at the girl in front of him. His brows were a bit furrowed as he stared at her.

She has to admit, but it was uncomfortable to be under his scrutinizing gaze. Thus, she stared in response because she was not exactly sure how to properly react when someone decided staring was more important than talking. More time passed and the situation began to embody the word awkward.

She was beginning to question her choice on accepting his offer to go with him on his rounds. Maybe if she didn’t accept she wouldn’t have to deal with this. 

“I care for the future”. And with that, he left her standing alone at the front of the orphanage. 

_What._

She continued standing there, unsure of how to process what he just told her.

_‘I care for the future’? That's it?_

Tsukiko stood there, staring at the spot Tobirama was just at, trying to understand the implications of what he just told her.

It was sometime later that Inari found her dazedly standing there and dragged her inside. 

* * *

Tobirama trudged through the familiar streets once more, except this time he was alone, no little girl by his side as he made his way back to his home. 

It was suffice to say the walk around Konoha went smoothly. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred and someone had the chance to see the beauties of Konoha.

Besides, he learned a bit more about the mysterious girl that he brought into Konoha. 

Of course, he was still furious at his brother, but maybe this time he won’t go as hard on him than he usually does.

* * *

Akiara groaned as she slumped against the table. Her head was stuffed in a book in the vain hope that by doing so it would transfer the information from the pages to her mind. Tsukiko glanced at Akiara’s futile attempts, sighed, and looked at her Hitonese book once more. 

“Why is math even a thiiiiinnnngggggg”. She huffed out, head still stuffed in a book. She then shifted her head sideways, hair trickled down the side of her face making only one eye visible. “ _Tsssuuuukkkiiikkoooo-chaaaaannnnn_ ”.

Tsukiko looked up and turned once more towards Akiara’s direction. “What”.

“Why are there even letters in math?” She whined. “It doesn't even make seeennnsseee”. 

“Try to make sense of it”.

“Tsukiko-chaaann that’s not how you treat your Senpai”. A fake tear trickled down her eye as she gave her the most watery-eyed face she’s ever seen- like she just witnessed someone kick her puppy, throw it down a mountain, and light it on fire. 

She sighed once more. Actually, she lost track of how many times she’s sighed in the past hour. It’s a miracle she was able to get so far in her Hitonese studies with this girl causing such a ruckus. 

“Tsukiko-chan, I- I think I’m dying”. Akiara croaked out as she slowly began to slide out of the chair. “Please-”

“No you are not”. 

“ _Tsukikooooo-chaaa_ -”

“What problem”. She voiced in defeat, closing her Hitonese book to eye the pitiful melted girl before her.

She perked up at the response, slammed her back against the chair, and looked at Tsukiko with the biggest grin. 

It had become routine to Tsukiko everytime Akiara begins her classic ‘I’m dying avenge me’ meltdown. Tsukiko knew that Akiara either was in need of something or she was in a dilemma. Sometimes, she wondered who exactly is the older one out of the two, after having to deal with her for the past few months. 

“It’s this one”. She pushed the problem in question towards her. “I don’t know how to proceed with it”.

Tsukiko peered at the problem in question and evaluated its contents.

“It's simple. First get X by itself. Then substitute for six and square the quantity”. She wrote it out right after finishing explaining it. Akiara once again had tears in her eyes, except this time they seemed to be joyful tears- the kind of tears that shed when one received the last piece of Takoyaki from their friend - _and no, that friend is definitely not Tsukiko cause whoever wanted her last piece of Takoyaki can suffer._

 _“_ Wow!” Akiara exclaimed as she jumped from her chair in glee and clasped both hands of Tsukiko. “Tsukiko-chan thank you, thank you, thank you!” She repeated it several times and in rapid succession. 

Once Akiara was done with her mantra, Tsukiko went back to reading and finally, peace and quiet once again reigned the atmosphere. However, all good things come to an end at some point. 

“Tsukiko-chan”. 

She inwardly groaned, wondering what did she want this time.There are many times she has questioned her own choices. One of them being: keeping this girl close in order to gain more information. It’s starting to become more of an effort to deal with her. She even pondered whether she was profiting more than what she was putting in. As of right now, it seemed that it was more of a loss than a gain.

“Yes”. She tiredly let out, waiting for the next thing Akiara planned on asking her. 

“Has anyone told you that you’re smart”.

“No”.

“Well, you’re smart”.

“Thank you?”

“No like, really really smart”. She pointed out and continued explaining, waving her hands to and fro. “The math I’m dealing with right now is two years ahead of what the average kids my age are dealing with. I was able to test up after getting recommended by one of the teachers. However-” She paused and looked at Tsukiko with a curious gaze. “You’re five years younger than me, but have no trouble solving these types of math problems that are meant for thirteen year olds”.

Tsukiko remained silent at the statement. Was her solving those types of problems really that big of a deal? It seemed normal to her since that was below the standard her father even held her too. 

“How come you don’t let the teachers know about your math skills. Actually not just math, but all the other subjects as well. It just doesn’t make sense to me-” She cupped her face and leaned against the table, “- and sorry if I’m overstepping, but why are you holding yourself back?” 

Tsukiko pondered over it. Why was she holding herself back? Well, getting ahead of the crowd wasn’t her main priority right now, and she wouldn’t gain anything except for unwanted eyes and attention. _‘Act strong when weak, and weak when strong’,_ she recalled one of the sayings her father told her. Thus, don’t show anyone the cards you have up your sleeve, they may prove vital at times you least expect. 

“I see no point”. She finally answered, summing up the rest of her thoughts. “Besides, I’m still not as good at Hitonese and history despite what you think”. 

“Well”. Akiara crossed her arms and nodded her head in thought. “That makes sense”. Then she puckered her lips and pouted. “Still,I have to admit, it hurts my pride a bit seeing you easily solve all these complex problems”. She puffed up her chest and declared, “It should be the senpai helping the kohai, not the other way around”.

Tsukiko ignored the string of complaints coming out of Akiara’s mouth. 

Seriously, does this girl ever have an off switch? 

“By the way, do you plan on taking the upcoming entrance exam for the Shinobi academy?” Akiara asked, after finishing her little tirade.

It was now the beginning of August, one week before the entrance exam for the Shinobi academy. It was surreal to her how fast time seemed to go by ever since she arrived back in April. She wasn’t even sure herself if she was truly ready to tackle and pass the exams. 

“Yes”.

“Huh”. Silence followed for a few seconds. “That’s admirable”. 

“How so?”

“Well, first off the academy is really hard to get in”. She listed her statements with her fingers in a counting manner. “Second, even if you get in, graduating is a whole ‘nother story, only a select few are able to graduate. And lastly-” At this point her eyes were a bit downcast as she looked to the side. “- becoming a shinobi means that you will have to learn how to fight and kill. I…”. She seemed lost on what to say. “I don’t think I’d ever be able to have the guts to kill someone”.

Tsukiko softened at the statement. The thought of killing reminded her of hands covered in ~~_red red red_~~ and the electric blue sky ~~with the eye~~ piercing down amongst the already blood-soaked land. Indeed, although she has never killed, she still bore witness to the deaths of her clansmen. To this day she still had nightmares about it, always thinking to herself that if she was just a bit stronger, would Papa not have had to risk himself and protect her.

Sometimes she wondered if she had it in her to kill someone. She didn’t have the right to choose who lives or who dies and would always prefer talking out grievances than deal with unnecessary misunderstandings. However, like her father reminded her back during the siege, _‘there’s no point in talking if they don’t listen’._ Thus, there will come a point where she has no choice but to fight and kill enemies in order to survive. 

“My father was a shinobi from what I remember”. Akiara started as she began recalling more about her past. She hasn’t really delved into it as much - well only mentioning bits and pieces here and there throughout the months - ever since her first introduction back in April. “He went out there to risk his life and protect his family. However, he didn’t come back, and instead of protecting the family… the family broke apart instead”. She held a pensive look, her once bubbly personality a fragment of the past. 

Despite how childish Akiara can act - _and how annoying she could be at times_ \- Tsukiko won’t lie that the girl was intelligent in her own right. She noticed that she had that slight gleam in her eyes: the ones that could just tell when someone is emotionally struggling. And, she possessed that look of understanding that kids even older than her don’t seem to have when it came to mature topics.

“Sometimes, fighting just makes me think ya know. Doesn’t fighting lead to more fighting and more death. So why do we keep doing it?” Her question lingered in the air. “Why do we keep doing it, if all it leads to is death?” 

Her point was indeed valid. Oftentimes, Tsukiko thought about it too. It was a deep question, the ones her father tended to ask and discuss with her during their studies. Clearly, she doesn’t have a straight answer that she could give her, but there was one thing that could be said. 

“You don’t have to answer that question. Haha”. Akiara chuckled and scratched the back of her head. “I’m just rambling on again don’t mind it”. She waved her hand as if discarding the thought into nothingness. 

“Akiara-san”. 

Akiara turned towards her. 

“We fight for what we believe in”. She paused in her thoughts, trying to put to words what she came up with after discussing a similar topic with her father. “People’s lives don’t end when they die… they end when they lose faith. That is why we continue to fight since true death happens when we lose sight of what we believe in”. 

Akiara mulled the statement in her head.

“Yea”. A delicate smile etched itself into the curves of her cheeks. “Yea. I think you have a point”. 

* * *

The light fall breeze scattered the autumn leaves throughout the field. There was a crisp chill in the air, accompanied by the soft glow of the early morning sun. It was eight in the morning, the field of the Shinobi academy was packed with prospective attendees. Children of all ages were gathered together. Some had red fang-like markings decorating their cheeks, some had pale blond hair that stood out from the sea of dark colored hair, and others sported a plain navy collar decorated with a fan on the back. 

The field was buzzing with tension. Whether it would be excitement or anxiety, Tsukiko couldn’t tell. There were too many chakra signatures and fluctuations to read one accurately without getting overloaded with information.

Akiara wished her well before she left, exclaiming that her _‘Kohai must stomp all the competition and make her senpai proud’._ She shuddered, replaying the scene over again. It was a miracle she was able to escape from being squished to death by her. Seriously, where did all that strength come from? 

For some reason, the chatter seemed to be getting louder at each passing moment. What was all the commotion?

Suddenly, as if to answer her question, a hand was placed on her shoulder and she jolted in response. She looked up at the owner's hand and sure enough… 

“Sir Tobi. What are you doing here?”

“Good morning Tsukiko-chan”. He responded, his red eyes gazing down at her wide pale lavender ones. “I’m here to help oversee the exam”.

“Oh really?” That was a surprise, she didn’t know Tobirama would be a part of the judging. She only knew that he would either go off, do missions, help his brother, or protect the village. Him partaking in the entrance exam seemed like a trivial matter and wasn’t something she’d expect him to do. 

“Yes, so I may be seeing you sometime during the exam”.

That statement gave her no reassurance whatsoever. Instead, it made her more nervous. She would now have to perform in front of Tobirama and somehow impress him. The bar was set even higher than before. Was she truly prepared to take the exam? 

“Don’t doubt your efforts Tsukiko-chan. I wish you luck”. And with that, he made his way through the crowds, giving subtle nods and entered inside the Shinobi Academy. 

Due to the sudden encounter, Tsukiko could feel countless eyes gazing in her direction. Apparently, Tobirama, despite his well-intentions, made things worse now that he had put more attention on her. Honestly, she really just wanted to fade into the background, not become the center of attention. 

“Who is that child?”

“Why did Tobirama-sama go up to her?”

“They have the same hair _*gasp*_ could it be?!”

“I remember seeing that girl walk around Konoha with Tobirama-sama”.

“ _Tch_. What’s so special about her”.

“Don’t compare her to the likes of Tobirama-sama. She’s a _Kijo_ , so beware of her. Ok kids”.

She clenched her fists and ignored the rumors and gazes directed towards her. 

_Focus Tsukiko, focus,_ she thought as she kept her eyes forward. _It’s just gossip, like those maids would do whenever you weren’t around. Concentrate on more important things like passing the exams, becoming a shinobi, getting stronger, and saving your father, not meaningless prattle._ She steeled herself and took a deep breath. _You can only depend on yourself, so you have no choice but to be strong, remember._

“Alright we will now commence with the entrance exam! All participants, please head inside the academy. A person will lead you to a room for you to take the exam”. 

Some parents kissed their child and wished them luck, others patted them on the shoulder or ruffled their hair. Tsukiko ignored the interactions happening around her. She knew that just by looking at the sight, it would make her feel absolutely miserable. Because it would hammer in the fact that she was truly, utterly alone. No mother since her mother left her at a young age, and no father to ruffle her hair and give her support. She wasn’t the only one however, from the corner of her eye, she noticed the handful of other orphans planning on taking the exam cast their gazes down. 

She made her way inside the building, noting the pristine white walls and arch like ceilings. After a few moments of walking, she finally arrived in the main hall- where dozens of teachers and volunteers gathered the children into groups and brought them to their testing sites. In the center was a long table handled by some of the examiners. 

“Name?”

“Tsukiko”.

“Tsukiko…”.

“Just Tsukiko”.

The man looked at her oddly, but didn’t comment on the lack of last name.

“Age?”

“Seven”. 

“Hmmm ok”. He continued jotting down on his clipboard. 

“First time?”

“Yes”.

“Well. Your proctor will explain what you must do and the details surrounding the exam”. 

A few seconds passed before he pushed up his glasses. 

“Alright Tsukiko-chan”. He handed her a number and wrote something down once more on his clipboard. “Head to Group 8. You will be accompanied by nine other students and the adult leading that group will be your proctor. Make sure to follow the rules and what your proctor tells you to do. Failure to do so will lead to disqualification”.

“I understand”.

“Alright now off with you”. He waved his hands in a flapping like manner and gestured for the next child in line. 

Tsukiko scanned her surroundings till she spotted a tall man holding the number fifteen standing at the corner of the room. She navigated her way through the crowded room till she arrived by the man’s side. However, it seems that the man didn’t seem to notice her presence and continued to observe the room with lazy eyes. 

“Excuse me”. She went on her toes and tapped his shoulders, gaining his attention. The man peered down at her, a question lining his gaze.

“I’m part of Group 15. The check-in person gave me this number and told me to head over here”.

“Is that so”. He continued to gaze down at her. “Well, you are the last one then. The others have already been directed to the room”. The man turned around and started walking down the designated hall. Tsukiko took it as a clear sign to follow him and kept pace with the man’s stride, till they finally arrived at the entrance of the room 2-A. They both entered the room. Nine pairs of eyes were directed at her direction.

“Find an empty seat and we will shortly begin the exam”. 

Tsukiko spotted a seat at the right side of the room and with haste, she got herself situated.

As she took a look around the room, all the occupants in the room seemed to be around her age, meaning that the groups were most likely grouped based on age. However, what stuck out the most to her was that she was the only girl out of all the examinees in the room. No wonder the proctor was giving her a curious look. 

“There should be writing utensils on your desk for you to write on the exam with. I will now be passing the exams”. A stack of papers were now bundled in his arms as he started making his round around the room. “You have an hour. Once I hand out the stacks to everyone, you may begin”.

* * *

“Tobirama-sama!”

Tobirama looked up from his work desk and eyed the proctor that burst into the Hokage’s office. The man was panting, his hair combed back into a ponytail in order to keep it out of the way. If his assumption was correct, this man should be Onikuma Touma, part of the newly joined Onikuma clan that specializes in the _Hiden_ possession type jutsu.

The man not only caught his attention, but his brother’s attention as well. 

“Yes?”

“Tobirama-sama, it seems that one of the tests we evaluated received full marks”.

“Is that so?” It’s been awhile since there was a perfect score on the entrance exam regardless of age. 

Hashirama voiced his enthusiasm, “Well that is absolutely fantastic. The future generation is looking good Tobi”.

Usually, during the exam, they divided the children up into groups of ten. This year, there seemed to be a high number of applicants: around one-hundred-fifty kids in total, ranging from ages 5-11. Still, it was a surprising number of kids - more than the average actually - and although he and his brother had their differences there was one thing that they agreed on: That it was truly satisfying to see the future of Konoha continue to prosper. 

“Yes. I even looked at it twice and shared it with the other proctors in order to get a full read on the exam”. Touma affirmed. 

“That is good to hear”. Tobirama responded. 

“That’s not all”. Touma smirked as if he didn’t even say the most shocking part. “The examinee seemed to catch on to the _hidden questions_ ”.

Now that statement thoroughly grabbed Tobirama’s attention. “I’m intrigued”. He declared as he crossed his arms. “Let me take a look at it”.

“Yes Tobirama-sama. Here it is”. He handed the exam over to him and slightly bowed before stepping back. 

Tobirama flipped through the pages, looking at each question in earnest. Many of the questions they administered in the exam were very simple and covered the sections of math, writing and reading Hitonese, and a bit of Konoha history. 

Hashirama edged away from his desk until he was firmly peeking over his brother’s shoulder.

“Was this the test for the seven years olds?”

“Yes”.

He continued flipping through it, becoming continually impressed the farther he looked through the exam. Although the exam covers the basics necessary to learn at the academy, there was actually one important part to the exam that truly separated the geniuses from the prodigies. 

There were two questions that Tobirama hid throughout the sections of each year’s exam. One of them was a 'what would you do' situation and the other asked the examinee: What makes a shinobi a shinobi? In order to find these questions, you had to piece together small hints that could be found in each of the exam questions and connect them to the other sections of the tests. So far only two people were able to find out about his question and answer it. And those two people were a Hyuga and a Nara. 

Tobirama always emphasized the saying _‘Look underneath the underneath’._ It is true that answering the questions correctly is a good thing, but if one is unable to look beyond the answers and connect them with each other, then they will never be able to comprehend the bigger picture. 

_And would you look at that_ , Tobirama thought as he looked at the extra page he supplied to each exam just in case they found out the hidden question. Right where he was looking, there were two written answers in response to his questions. 

“Haha!” Hashirama let out a boisterous laugh. “It’s been awhile seeing you so invested in something Tobi”. 

Tobirama grunted at his brother as he read through the written question’s responses. The answer to the last question caught his eye.

**_What makes a shinobi a shinobi?_ **

_Well, there is no general term on how to define what a shinobi is. To better understand, we have to look into the ethics and morals of an individual. In which case, a shinobi is defined by their beliefs and the answer varies from person to person. However, there is no true answer for this question since the wording of it is vague. Unless, you meant to word the question as ‘what do_ _you_ _believe makes a shinobi a shinobi?’ then that would be an entirely different question than the one you asked me._

_Cheeky brat,_ Tobirama thought as he reread the answer to the last question one more time. He was honestly looking forward to seeing this question’s answer since it was one of the more controversial topics he enjoyed discussing. But sadly, it seems he’ll have to edit the test later in order to make the question more “precise”. 

“Do you know who’s test this is?” 

“We haven’t looked up the name and number yet in order to fully evaluate the exam and prevent bias”.

“I see”. Tobirama responded as he nodded in understanding. Now he really was curious on who this mystery examinee is. “Can you bring up the name?”

“Certainly”. He replied. “Follow me”.

Tobirama and Hashirama both abandoned their post and followed the proctor. Work can wait, it seemed there was something a lot more interesting developing in the works, and they're too curious for their own good. Tobirama walked sternly with purpose while on the other hand, his brother skipped happily down the administrative halls like a frolicking little girl- Tobirama desperately tried to ignore the _irritating_ floating flowers dancing off his brother- to the designated grading room.

“Who has the list of numbers from the 8th group, ranging from 80-89?” Touma called out to the gathered proctors situated in the room.

“I do”. A voice responded in the corner of the room. The man in question raised his hand and lazily-eyed the newcomers.

“May we please see the name for candidate number 89?”

“Sure thing”. The man said and handed it over to Touma. 

“Let’s see”. Touma scoured the list till he made his way to top where the number 89 was located. “Hmm that's odd”. He voiced out as he re-read the name of the examinee once again. 

“Here let me see”. Tobirama said and Touma gave him the list. When he looked at the examinee’s name, a smirk made its way to his face. 

Hashirama stared blankly at his brother and rubbed his eyes once more. 

“Is it someone you know?” Touma asked as he carefully scooted away from him, eyeing him oddly. 

“Indeed”. Tobirama looked up from the list, amusement dancing in his eyes. “It is”.

* * *

“Tsuuukkkiiikkoo-chaaaannnn!!!”

A voice called out from behind. 

She turned around and reluctantly accepted her fate. Right after, a bone crushing hug squeezed the ever living daylights out of her and she dangled helplessly from Akiara’s arms. 

“Your Senpai is soooo proud of you! Look at you! Top-scorer!” She continued to swing Akiara around like a ragdoll. “And now you're leaving for your first day at the Shinobi Academy! Uwahhhhh!”

She wasn’t sure if she saw correctly, but there were literal waterfalls streaming from Akiara’s eyes. Was… was that even possible?

“Mph! Aki- I can’t b-breath”. Her arms weakly tried to push off her captor’s arms. It baffles her how, for some unknown reason, Akiara can be as strong as an ox. With such monstrous strength, she can definitely squeeze the life out of anyone that wronged her. The thought of Akiara becoming a shinobi sent shudders down her spine. 

_Maybe it's for the best that Akiara is indeed pacifist and chose to go to a civilian institution_ , she thought bitterly as she once again attempted to free herself from her grasp. 

Suddenly, she felt the grip around her loosen and she inhaled a large breath of air. Hands placed on her thighs, she peered up at her aggressor with a glare. 

“My- my Kohai grew up too fast”. She wiped a tear as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

“What are you even talking about, I’ve only been here for at most, half a year”.

“But, it feels like I’ve known you for forevvverrr”.

Tsukiko sighed to herself and shoved her face into her hands. Really, what has she gotten herself into. She never thought that she signed herself up to dealing with one of the most emotionally charged humans she ever knew in existence. She might as well have signed the contract with the Kijo or oni or _whatever_ , instead of dealing with this… this otherworldly creature in front of her.

“That’s not possible”. 

“Well”. She puffed her cheeks, raised her chin, and crossed her arms. “It is now!”

A short silence followed her declaration as Tsukiko scoffed.

“Actually wait…. You won't forget me right”. She looked at Tsukiko, her teary eyes coming back with a vengeance. 

“Aki-san. I’m still staying at the orphanage despite going to the academy”

“Huh?”

“Did you not hear Inari-san earlier?” Tsukiko raised her brow. “Although I’m going to the shinobi academy, I won’t live independently until after I graduate”.

“Uhh yea…”. She trailed off, til she stated once more with confidence. “Yea I , I totally knew that, I was just testing you”.

She gave Akiara a _‘sure you did’_ look, already used to her antics. 

“Well anyways, have fun at school!” She waved her off before heading back inside the orphanage. “See you later!”

A cool breeze brushed past her hair as she exited the premises of the orphanage. The colorful leaves scattered through the air, fluttering and dancing in a dance made for two. The autumn sun dappled the shadows of the buildings and structures she passed by, lengthening the higher it rose up. 

It was a peaceful morning. 

The fishers pulling a wagon of freshly caught carps and bass from the river, the vendors setting up their stalls for the day, the shops opening their doors for customers, it felt rhythmic, soothing actually to watch as she weaved her way through the morning crowd. 

It reminded her once again of her clan. Her village. Her _home_.

She’s still getting used to the change of environment and culture. The folklore and the Kijo’s, the etiquette, the standards, there’s still a lot for her to take in. Reading books can only prepare a person so much, and she wasn’t even expecting herself to be here in the first place.

Besides, it's only been a few months, but not a single day goes by whenever she ponders on the _what-ifs_ and the _how-comes_ of that night-marish day. 

What changed the side-branches mind? How did things dissolve into warfare, tragedy, and _~~red red red~~ … _

Was there something she was missing? Shouldn’t she have noticed the tensions that were building between both branches? If so, maybe she could have warned her father about it, and maybe there could've been measures set to prevent the meaningless bloodshed. 

Regret and helplessness pooled in her stomach as she thought about her father’s actions. He risked his life to save her and she doesn’t even know if he was still alive or not. 

What if he didn’t make it? What if-

~~_A sword through his shoulder, his last words echoed in the darkness_ ~~

_No, don't think about it, Tsukiko_ , she thought and shook her head. Her father was strong, surely he must’ve escaped with that Guardian’’s help and is still holding his own against the side-branch. 

All she can do now is get stronger and survive for her father’s sake. Then from there, she’ll come back and help her father. 

_Remember Tsukiko_ , she softly whispered to herself, _Dum vita est spes est (While there is life, there is hope)._

The sole phrase was like a lifeline to her. The only thing she clenched onto as she dangled from the pits of hopelessness and despair, to keep her from thinking the worst, that things could change for the better, that her father would be alright, and that she would return home soon. 

She concentrated on the white building rising up from the rooftops. The familiar bell, the dome-like shape of the entrance, and the red roof tiles that glinted under the sunlight. The sight became closer, larger, till she was standing right outside of the green fences surrounding it, looking up at the huge building.

Of course, she wasn’t the only one there. Some kids were already heading in, others were wishing their mothers good-bye, and a few were rejoicing over being in the same class or seeing one another again. The atmosphere was light and jovial, but she couldn’t help but feel heavy with her emotions, like a weight was dragging her to the bottom of the sea and she couldn’t reach nor see the surface.

Now that she thought about it, what would her father tell her if he was here with her. She turned her gaze to a child around her age hugging their father and laughing together. Would he also be wishing her luck at the academy, patting her head like he usually does and imparting with her a few words of advice or wisdom.

She walked up to the bulletin board, ignoring the stares and looks shot her way. Her eyes scanned the class list and names before it stopped on her name- _her fake name._

**Class 4-A**

……...

Shimura Danzo

Utatane Koharu

Uchiha Kagami

Tsukiko

……...

After finding her class, she entered the academy. What greeted her was the familiar scenery of the main hall, the place where she registered herself to take the exam. Except this time, there was no longer a registration table or numbers being held in the air. 

While searching around, she spotted a familiar figure, standing back facing her, talking to someone at the edge of the room. Based on what she remembered, he must be the previous proctor from before. 

She made her way towards him, careful not to bump into anyone. “Excuse me”. She asked as she tapped him on the shoulder like last time.

The man slightly turned and looked down on her, giving her his signature relaxed look. His colleague also followed his gaze and looked at her.

“Hm, it's you again”. The man mused out as he fully turned to face her.

“Could you tell me where room 4-A is?”

“Sure thing”. He replied and pointed towards a staircase to the side of the room. “Take those stairs and continue down the hall. You should see a door that says 4-A on it”. 

“Ok. Thank you”.

However, before she could make her way towards her destination…

“Hoi”. He called out, stopping her in her tracks. “What’s your name kiddo?"

She looked back and answered. “Tsukiko”.

A thoughtful look flashed through his face, before it returned back to his regular nonchalant expression.

“Have a good first-day Tsukiko-chan”. He told her and waved her off. 

She followed the man’s directions, walking up the stairs before turning right down a long corridor. 

She’s not sure what to expect on her first day at the Shinobi Academy.

Indeed, seeing her results did take her by surprise. Her, top-scorer, the notion was laughable, especially getting full-marks on her Hitonese. Tobirama even told her that the entrance exam to the Shinobi Academy should be one of the most difficult exams to pass since on average only about a third of the examinees get in. However, all the problems were really simple and those hidden questions were as clear as day. Those types of questions were even lower than the standard even her father taught her, well with all his theoretical discussions. 

So, it looks like maybe she did overestimate it a bit.

 _Huh, Akiara was right then_ , she thought, readjusting the bag slung across her shoulders. _I guess the standards are lower for humans my age_. 

While she was deep in her thoughts, she suddenly sensed a presence in front of her. She tried to maneuver out of the way, but it was too late to avoid collision.

“Hey watch where you're going”. A boy with jet-black spiky hair seethed out as he glared down at her. He was maybe an inch or two taller than her and he sported a black loose shirt. His arms were crossed, showing off his forearms wrapped with white bandages.

“Ah. Sorry”. She responded as she inwardly sighed. Already the first day and now she managed to piss someone off. At first, she decided it would be best to turn her chakra sensing to a minimum to avoid overloading herself with information in a crowded area. Her thought process being: If she became too dependent on it, it could become a fatal weakness. Now however, she’s not sure if she regrets her decision or not. 

She continued on her way, ignoring the words the boy whispered to the person standing next to him. 

_“I don’t understand how people like her got in”._

The words didn’t sting. She was used to gossip and being casted out, either by some people of her clan or the kids at the orphanage. Another insult, won’t make a difference. 

There’s also no point in proving the boy wrong. Shouting her results to the world would only bring her more attention, which was the opposite of what she wanted. Besides, who would believe her, a little girl who’s deemed a Kijo by others. 

It would be best to use her situation to her advantage and hide her strengths. Anyone in this academy could be a potential enemy in the future and she’ll need to keep her cards close in order to ensure her own survival. It’s like playing chess with her father. Going along with her opponent’s moves, finding hidden openings, then striking while the iron’s hot. 

A chime rang out in the air, signaling class would start in a few minutes. The bold lettering of 4-A stood out vividly against the top of the door. She took a deep breath and stepped into the classroom. 

There were nine rows of desks, each divided into three sections. The class wasn’t too crowded yet since only the warning chime rang out, but Tsukiko would guess that the majority of the students should be on their way as of now. 

She observed the room and found a seat at the back nearest to the windows. Quickly, and as quietly as she could, she kept her head down and made a bee-line to the empty seat. As she sat down, she gave a small huff of relief. Thankfully, the other students were too preoccupied in their conversations to notice her pass by. 

After a few more minutes, the final bell rang and most of the class was settled in their seats while others were in small groups chattering away with their friends. Suddenly, silence engulfed the room, the kids rushed to their seats right as the teacher walked in. 

By the looks of it, It seems there are a total of twenty-three kids in her class including her. 

“Hello class”. The teacher said as he turned towards them. “I will be your teacher for this year’s session. My name is Tensei Masao, but you may call me Ten-sensei for short”. 

“Now before we be-”.

He was interrupted by the slamming of the classroom door. 

“Uchiha Kagami. Late on the first day”. The teacher had an unamused look on his face.

“Ah sorry”. The boy named Kagami sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “I got a bit held up by… clan… matters”

“I see”. He looked at him now with a thoughtful expression, “You're excused for just this time, but the next time you have clan matters, please inform me ahead of time”.

“Yes Sensei”. He responded and headed straight for the empty seat next to the cat-eared boy.

 _Make that twenty-four_ , she thought as she eyed the new-comer. Now that she took a closer look, the two boys definitely looked very familiar to her.

“Now class, welcome back to school. Before we begin, I’d like to introduce a new student that will be joining your class session for the upcoming years”

“Tsukiko”. He called out to her and she snapped her head towards the instructor. “Would you please come down and introduce yourself to the rest of the class”. 

The attention was centered on her now, all pairs of eyes staring at her direction. The majority were curious stares, except for two. Kagami looked at her with wide eyes while the boy she bumped into earlier was giving her a nasty glare. 

_Seriously, everytime I try not to drag attention to myself this happens,_ she thought bitterly as she made her way to the front, stood next to the teacher, and faced the class. 

_Well, no helping it now._


End file.
